The first time around
by fluffykitty12
Summary: Ever wonder how Anakin skywalker found Shadow, his sister, the first time? he's only a padawan when he has disturbing visions of a small girl and has no idea who her true identity is. Can he risk finding her, keep her alive, and have the jedi accept her into training?


Chapter 1

Anakin had been Obi-wan's padawan for almost two years now. He still struggled sometimes, but Obi-wan always seemed to believe in him, and help him sort out his feelings.

This wasn't the case on a dreary June morning.

Anakin woke up feeling strange. He felt the force calling him, pulling him, to do something. He didn't know what.

Obi-wan could easily see Anakin was troubled.

"What is it, Padawan?" he asked, a bit concerned.

"Are you well?" Anakin sometimes took time to go down to the lower levels of couasant to scavenge for droid parts. It was a hobby Obi-wan saw as a waste of time, but he respected it. But still, Obi-wan always worried Anakin would be met by some rough character in the junk heaps and be injured.

Anakin shook his head. Obi-wan studied his padawan's face. Anakin wasn't pale, and Obi-wan sensed his life energy as strong as ever.

"What is it, then?" he asked.

"I don't know." Anakin admitted. "I wish I did. The force is calling me, trying to get me to go somewhere or do something. I just don't know what.

"Have you meditated on it?" Obi-wan asked him. Anakin nodded. "For four hours." He said. Obi-wan was surprised. Anakin rarely meditated for more than an hour a day.

"Would you like to speak to master Yoda about it?" Obi-wan asked. He was grasping at straws now, he knew.

"No, Master." Anakin said.

"Why don't you go work on a droid, then?" Obi-wan asked him. "I know you were out late last night, getting something. Did you find it?"

Anakin nodded. "A mainframe for a G66A19 astromech droid. I found it after a while. I don't feel like working on it, though."

Obi-wan knew it was serious if Anakin didn't want to work on a droid. "I'll be in my quarters." Anakin said quietly. He left. Obi-wan was left to puzzle over his padawan's problem.

Anakin picked up his servo driver and fingered it. He had found it completely intact of a night scavenging, a rare find.

It was the one he always used for delicate projects, where a servo driver that had another head fused on might not work.

Anakin felt the cold metal under his touch, and something inside him seemed to move.

Suddenly, everything was gone. His quarters had transformed into the dusty landscape of Tatooiene. He was trapped in a sand storm, looking desperately for something.

He didn't know what it was. He felt the sand invading his lungs, and soon his chest grew heavy. He knew he would suffocate soon. But he had to keep searching, desperately, for whatever it was it was so important to him. More important than his own life, even. He was gasping for breath, now. He could feel it rattle in his throat.

The darkness of the sandstorm didn't lift, but still, he was left desperately searching. Finally, Anakin saw sports in his vision. His knees turned to water, his lungs felt like paper, and he fell to the ground. He knew he was going to die. "No." he whispered desperately. "No…"

"Anakin! Anakin!"

Anakin opened his eyes. He was back in his quarters. Obi-wan was shaking him gently. He saw the concern in his master's eyes.

"Are you alright?" Obi-wan asked him.

Anakin nodded. He took a deep breath. "I… I had a vision." He said quietly.

Obi-wan didn't look reassured. "You're sure you're alright?" he asked. "You didn't answer when I knocked. I sensed something was wrong, and I found you lying on the floor, gasping for breath. Then you said no…."

Obi-wan trailed off.

Anakin sat up and hugged his knees.

Obi-wan noted his padawan looked shaken. "Are you sure you're okay?" he asked.

He wished he could just take his padawan to the med-wing and have the problem solved. But he sensed it was much deeper than that.

Anakin shook his head, as if trying to clear it.

"Describe it to me." Obi-wan urged him gently.

"It was sandy… I think I was on tatooiene. I was in the dessert, trapped in a sandstorm. I was looking for something, desperately. I couldn't find it, and I didn't know what it was. I was suffocating, feeling my lungs burn and fill with sand, but I couldn't stop looking. It was worth my life to find it. Then I fell, and I saw spots. I knew I was going to die, but I hadn't found it yet. I _needed _to find it, Obi-wan. I couldn't live without it. But then I knew I wouldn't and I started whispering no, and I came back here."

Obi-wan looked troubled, this time. "You must speak to Master Yoda about this, Anakin." Obi-wan said.

Anakin nodded and got to his feet, struggling to remember he wasn't on Tatooiene, that he was safe in the temple.

He and Obi-wan left together.

Master Yoda was in the hall outside, walking towards them on his gimmer stick.

"I sensed, needed I was." Yoda said.

Anakin nodded slightly. Obi-wan couldn't push aside his concern.

Anakin fell into step as he and Yoda walked, and began retelling his vision. Obi-wan stayed on the other side of Yoda, watching his padawan, a bit troubled.

"Tatooiene, it might not be." Yoda said quietly.

"But another dessert world. Hanog. Sending a Master Padawan team there, already, we were. Troubling, the situation there is. A warning, your vision may be. Go with them, you should." Yoda said. "An hour and the transport will leave. Prepare, you must." Yoda said.

Anakin simply nodded. "Thank you, Master Yoda."

He left to prepare.

"Worried, you are, Obi-wan." Yoda said quietly, after Anakin had left.

"Yes. I am afraid for Anakin. He is deeply troubled. He hasn't been acting normal."

"Normal, hardly visions are, for someone his age." Yoda agreed.

"And he seemed… cautious. Disturbed, almost."

"Unsure, the boy is. Good, caution is."

Obi-wan knew Yoda wouldn't fully understand his worry for Anakin.

"Thank you, master." Obi-wan said.

Yoda nodded, and Obi-wan went to find Anakin.

Anakin had his bag packed and was waiting by the door when Obi-wan arrived.

Obi-wan noticed the metallic gleam of a hydro spanner sticking out from his bag. He raised an eyebrow at Anakin.

Anakin shrugged. "I don't know." He said. "I felt I would need it." Obi-wan nodded and packed his own bag.

He and Anakin headed to the hanger bay.

Anakin knew there would be another padawan there, but he didn't really care. He was disturbed at his visions. Frightened, almost. He wanted to free his mother, yes, but he had felt nothing of her in his vision. He was searching for something he truly had never known. And it scared him, the uncertainty.

He dreaded the trip, yet felt a burning eagerness to go.

Chapter 2

Anakin arrived to find the padawan he was going with was Dennar. He didn't particularly like or know Dennar, but he hardly made connections with any padawans.

Obi-wan nodded to Dennar's master, Geon. Obi-wan, too, hadn't particularly known Geon well, but he understood his values and agreed with him, mostly.

Geon nodded to Obi-wan. "I have been informed of the change of plans." He said quietly.

Obi-wan nodded. "Yes. Troubling, the situation is."

Dennar nodded to Anakin and smiled brightly. "Hello, Anakin." He said happily.

"Hi." Anakin murmured. He noticed Dennar's smile loose its brightness. "I apologize, Dennar." He said, lifting his eyes to face the padawan. "I've had a vision. It troubles me. It is so unknown." He continued, almost to himself.

Dennar nodded. "It's alright. Just, come on."

He started up the ramp onto the transport. Anakin followed behind him.

Anakin spent the three day journey to Harog mainly in the briefing room, studying the holofiles.

The planet's landscape was almost identical to Tatooiene, he realized, as he studied photos of the desert place. The situation, though, was clearly unstable and dangerous.

The hutts had ruled this planet for decades. Just hearing the name made Anakin's stomach begin to churn. But now, the people were rioting against Noomex the Hutt, who ruled the planet. The results were disastrous. There were murders in the streets, bodies of women and children. Anakin felt anger rise up in him at the unspeakable scenes before him, but he pushed it down. He already had enough anger. What he needed to do was think.

He knew he was drawn to Tatooiene, not to this planet. So why had he been sent here? And, if it had nothing to do with his mother on Tatooiene, what was drawing him?

His mouth suddenly felt dry.

Dennar entered.

"Aren't you going to eat lunch?" he asked, throwing Anakin a pack of pre-wrapped rations.

Anakin looked down at it in disgust. "No, but thanks." He said quietly.

It was hard to remain serious without saddening Dennar, Anakin realized. He sat and stared forward for a moment, thinking.

"Are you always like this?" Dennar asked his mouth full of protein cubes.

Anakin shook his head. "No. But I need to find something. I just don't know what."

"Anakin?" Obi-wan entered. He was wary and concerned for his padawan, still. Anakin hardly ate, and nothing seemed to interest him. He hardly talked to Dennar, he hardly talked at all, for that matter, and he stayed in the briefing room, mostly, studying holofiles.

Anakin stood. "Yes, Master?"

"This is hostile airspace, around Hanog. The rebels and Hutts have been squabbling for weeks over it. We need you to pilot."

Anakin nodded and stood, tossing his rations to Dennar. "You can have them." He said quietly.

Dennar nodded, but looked concerned.

Obi-wan felt unease well up inside of him at the sight of Anakin. It had been days since he had cracked a joke, or even smiled. Even piloting the ship didn't make is eyes light up with that familiar gleam.

Anakin sat in the pilot's seat and reached for the controls. _Smile. _ He reminded himself. _Piloting is fun. Obi-wan is worried._ Anakin forced a smile and touched the controls for a moment. It was in that split second he saw it. A face, a small girl, tiny, almost, and skinny. Her eyes were the deepest blue, and she lay on a dusty, sandy bed, on rags. She whimpered in pain as someone tried to help her. Before he could get a sense of who the figure helping her was, he heard a scream of pain from the girl, an utter, suffering scream of agony.

"Anakin!" Obi-wan watched all the color drain from Anakin's face, and he knew he was seeing something else. Another vision.

Obi-wan reached to shake his padawan, but Anakin recoiled in that instant, springing to his feet.

Dennar, Geon, and Obi-wan stared at him in shock.

Anakin was breathing heavily.

"Are you alright?" Obi-wan asked him quietly.

Anakin nodded and shakily sat back down in the pilot's seat, his breathing slowing.

"What did you see?" Obi-wan asked.

Anakin just shook his head. "I'll tell you later." He said.

Obi-wan nodded.

Anakin touched the controls, almost gingerly this time, as though he were afraid they would burn him.

But he sensed it. Pain. The girl, wherever she was, was in great pain.

Anakin flew the ship smoothly towards Hanog. It disturbed him that, from space, it looked so similar to Tatooiene.

"Hutt star cruiser, Anakin." Obi-wan said nervously from beside him.

"Any life forms aboard?" Anakin asked. Obi-wan checked the sensors. "No." he said.

"I'll destroy it." Anakin said, enabling the cannons.

"Anakin!" Obi-wan's sharp tone stopped him from firing. "They could punish innocents if they think the rebels did this." Obi-wan said.

Anakin nodded and tried to descend, fast.

The huttenese ship followed. Anakin felt the ship go to its limits, pushing through the atmosphere, at a gut-wrenching speed.

Anakin didn't even have to look over at his master to know he was pale.

"I can land, but they'll blow up the ship." Anakin informed Obi-wan.

"See if you can get them to crash into the surface on their own." Obi-wan said.

Anakin nodded.

The sand dunes would be obstacle enough for the droids.

Anakin hovered above the ground, still dodging fire from the enemy cruiser.

"I have an idea." Anakin said quietly.

He pushed the ship to its limits, feeling the controls shake in his hand as he dodged sand dune after sand dune.

The droids were even slower, and they clipped a wing.

They started going down.

"Master." Anakin said quietly.

"There's something wrong with the ship."

Obi-wan shot Anakin a nervous glance. The ship behind them hit the ground and exploded.

Anakin landed the ship, and the engine sputtered and died.

"I'll be back in a minute." Anakin said quietly.

Obi-wan nodded.

There was a hatch into the engine of the cruiser Anakin could fit into. It was spacious, but also hot from the engines.

"Faulty subatomic generator." Anakin said, emerging grimly. "It's…" Anakin froze. "Evacuate, now!" he ordered

He pushed Geon, Dennar, and Obi-wan out ahead of him.

Anakin dove behind a nearby sand dune, and everyone else followed, just as cannon fire rained down from the sky, blowing their ship to pieces.

The reinforcement huttenese cruiser flew away, leaving the ship a burning fireball.

"It was junk, anyway." Anakin said. "It's nearly impossible to get a subatomic generator for that model."

"Do they think we were on board the ship?" Dennar asked cautiously.

Anakin shrugged. "Probably. The droid pilots aren't too bright, and I just sensed them coming before we evacuated." Obi-wan looked surprised at Anakin. He shrugged. "Anxiety. The best form of hyper vigilance."

"But now we're stuck here, in the dessert, with no survival packs." Geon pointed out.

"You don't need a survival pack to survive." Anakin said quietly.

Dennar looked scared for the first time since they had taken off.

"But, we only know basic dessert survival. Not what to eat and what not to eat!" he burst out.

Geon tried to calm his padawan.

It didn't work. Dennar's eyes eye darting all around, and he had considerably paled.

"Dennar." Anakin said his voice surprising firm.

"We're going to survive. I lived on Tatooiene for six years. I've been lost in desserts before."

Obi-wan raised an eyebrow. Anakin hadn't really talked much about his past, but, with a past like Anakin's, you wouldn't want to.

"So, where do we go?" Geon asked uncertainly.

"We have the coordinates, and, Mater, do you have your data pad?"

Obi-wan nodded and tossed it to Anakin.

"Good. We have a map. That's something."

"So, we start walking now?" Dennar asked Anakin questioningly.

Anakin looked at Dennar like he had suggested they ran at a gundark unarmed.

"You'll dehydrate faster than a fish in a skillet." Anakin said.

"During the day, you just sit in the shadow of the sand dunes and find food."

"What food?" Geon asked, a bit bewildered.

"Bugs. What else is there to eat?"

Anakin strode towards the shade of sand dunes. Obi-wan, Geon, and Dennar followed. Obi-wan was relieved Anakin could survive in the dessert, since he was uneasy in the dessert, too.

Anakin sat down and started to dig. He removed a grub like creature and examined it.

It squirmed quietly, and Anakin pinched its head. It stopped moving. "A Duna Dune crawler." Anakin said. "They're filled with water, and the skin is crunchy. It's protein. Anyone want it?" Anakin asked.

Dennar had turned a shade of green, and Geon looked a bit disgusted. Obi-wan, too, was a bit appalled.

"No, thank you." Obi-wan said. Anakin shrugged and popped it into his mouth, crunching it and swallowing.

He grinned at the look on Obi-wan's face.

It was the first grin Obi-wan had seen from Anakin in a while.

"Well," Anakin said, going back to digging. "You guy want to starve, or what?"

Hesitantly, Obi-wan began to dig.

"Don't eat anything until I tell you what it is." Anakin said. "Half the bugs here are poisonous."

"That's reassuring." Obi-wan said sarcastically. Anakin gave him a small smile.

The bugs weren't so bad. Obi-wan found it hard to put it in his mouth at first, but he noticed Anakin's nonchalance, and grinned. "I always knew you'd eat anything." He said, hoping to ease his padawan's mind with the joke.

Anakin looked up seriously at him. "No, we would eat these all the time on tatooiene, when there were food shortages. Sometimes, it was all we'd eat all day." Anakin said. He turned back to digging. Obi-wan felt stupid.

Dennar looked over suddenly.

"Do you guys hear that?" he asked quietly.

Obi-wan listened and heard a quiet, _hhhhhhhh _Anakin was already jumping forward. He ignited his light saber and sliced the head off a snake that was the exact color of the sand.

Dennar stared down in horror.

"Ruby sand snake." Anakin said, turning the snake over to reveal a ruby-colored underside. "They're venomous."

Anakin tossed the body of the snake away and went back to digging.

Just as dusk started, he stood.

"If we want to reach the coordinates and not eat bugs tomorrow, we should start walking." He said, brushing himself off.

"But it's night." Dennar said, a bit upset.

Anakin looked at Dennar and tried to explain without scaring him.

"Dessert nights are freezing, Dennar. Without a thermal cape, people have been known to freeze to death."

Dennar was instantly on his feet, behind Anakin.

"Whatever you say.' He said quietly.

Anakin started reading off coordinates and their current location as they walked.

"Listen to everything." Anakin instructed them. "You never know what in the world is going to try to kill you."

Obi-wan found that freezing dessert nights were an understatement. They were positively frigid, with Anakin leading the shivering troop towards civilization.

They finally came upon a cantina.

Hesitantly, Obi-wan entered with Geon. Dennar and Anakin followed them.

Obi-wan placed a handful of credits of the table.

"Four jumba juices." He said.

The bartender, who was a wrinkly being with tan skin, seemed somewhat to resemble a smaller mammoth, looked confused.

Anakin spoke clearly in huttenese to the bartender, who nodded and took the credits.

Obi-wan and Geon looked to Anakin in surprise while Dennar just laid his head on the counter, tired.

Anakin shrugged Obi-wan off. "You knew I spoke huttenese, master.' Anakin said.

"I didn't know you spoke it fluently." Obi-wan said.

Anakin shrugged. "There's a lot you don't know about me, master."

Anakin turned as the bartender returned with four glasses. They were filled with an odd pink liquid, and Obi-wan looked at Anakin, a bit surprised.

"What did you order?" he asked.

"Kargasintic. Don't worry; it's the juice from the Gerung fruit. No offense, master, but Jumba juice in a cantina is like water in the dessert."

Anakin sipped his juice and smiled.

Obi-wan knew Anakin was thinking of Shmi, his mother, by the faraway look in his eyes. Anakin wouldn't be talking to him anytime soon. So he sipped the pink liquid served to him cautiously. He understood why Anakin had ordered it. It was a bit tangy, but then turned unbelievably sweet at the end, before you swallowed it.

"Should we stay here for the night?" Obi-wan asked Geon.

Anakin looked alarmed. "No." he said suddenly.

"What's wrong?" Geon asked.

Just then, a squabble erupted in another corner of the cantina, and one being ended up dead.

"_That's _why." Anakin said.

Obi-wan stood to leave, Anakin beside him, and Geon and Dennar trudging behind them.

"Where do we stay, then?" Obi-wan asked.

"With the rebels." Anakin said, quietly. "We were advised to aid them, after all. And, besides were here."

Obi-wan looked up in surprise. All that they seemed to be facing was a rock cliff.

Anakin stamped the ground three times.

Suddenly a rock moved aside. A lanky, blue female stood, blaster raised.

"We are Jedi. We will not hurt you." Obi-wan said.

At Obi-wan's voice, the woman only retreated. Anakin stepped forward.

"_Nohabbate hurnetta. Wennala stanganoe Jedi_." Anakin said easily.

Instantly, the woman lowered her blaster and smiled.

She said something to Anakin. Anakin nodded and turned to his comrades.

"She wants us to follow her." He said.

Geon and Dennar nodded, and Obi-wan followed after Anakin into the rebel headquarters. The rock was, once again, rolled over the hole leading into what Obi-wan saw was a massive cavern.

The base was little more than a hollow underground, with glow rods and bedrolls crowded across the floor. Many beings were asleep, but some stood awake.

Anakin commented to the woman, who blushed and laughed.

Obi-wan was growing uneasy with not understanding what Anakin was saying. He knew his padawan would never break the code, but he felt like he was learning about a side of his padawan he didn't know.

Anakin began to translate answers to questions

Dennar laid down on a spare bedroll he was given and fell asleep. Obi-wan, Anakin, and Geon stayed to learn about conditions.

The huts had been ruthless. They were on the outskirts of town now, but the fear was immense. The blue skinned woman, Anakin learned, was Chishi.

Anakin translated huttenese for Obi-wan until he was too tired to stand.

Obi-wan noticed, and Chishi assigned them each a bedroll.

"We are glad you are here." Chishi said. Anakin nodded. "Thank you, and goodnight." He said.

Anakin laid down on the bedroll he was assigned, which was next to Obi-wan. Anakin's eyes were serious and concerned again.

Obi-wan sat up and looked over at his padawan, worried.

"I am proud of you, padawan." Obi-wan said quietly. "You were a good leader today." Anakin nodded.

Obi-wan remembered Anakin, how he had panicked in the star fighter.

"What did you see before we landed?" Obi-wan asked quietly.

Anakin looked down at his feet.

"I saw a girl. She was screaming and whimpering in pain, lying on rags. Someone was trying to help her." Obi-wan could tell Anakin was still haunted by the memory of it all.

"Did you recognize her?" Obi-wan asked quietly.

Anakin shook his head.

"Describe her." Obi-wan ordered. "Very light brown hair. Deep blue eyes. She was dirty, and skinny, and she was small. Really small. Only a few years old. She was in so much pain…. She had a strong force signature, though." Anakin didn't realize he had felt her force signature until he spoke it allowed.

"Do you sense her on this planet?" Obi-wan asked.

Anakin shook his head. "And I have no idea what my connection to her is. But it is there. I know it."

Obi-wan suddenly noticed that his padawan looked tired and worried.

"Rest, Anakin. We'll sort this out tomorrow." Anakin nodded and lay down. He closed his eyes, but he knew he wouldn't sleep well.

Chapter 3

_He saw her now, still in so much pain. She grimaced and cried out, but had to limp to wherever she was going. A basic-looking battle droid walked calmly beside her, and she leaned against him, heading towards wherever she was going. Her face was sweaty under the hot sun, even though it was just rising. The pain and anguish she felt showed on her thin face. She let out a relaxed smile. She had arrived…._

Anakin awoke to the sound of explosions above. Obi-wan was awake. Dennar was already awake, looking around, clearly afraid.

Anakin stood, and felt a searing pain in his left calf for a moment. He staggered and leaned against the wall, but as soon as the pain had come, it had gone.

Obi-wan looked at Anakin, concerned. "I'm fine." Anakin said. But he remembered the little girl, limping along, and her leg had been wrapped around… the left calf! He was more connected to this girl than he had even though possible.

Chishi rushed over, speaking hurriedly in Huttenese to him. Anakin nodded, understanding every word.

"It is just a routine bombing by the hutts." He informed Obi-wan.

Obi-wan nodded and motioned for Anakin to sit back down.

"Let me see your leg." Obi-wan said. "You're hurt."

Anakin shook his head. "I'm fine, master, I swear. I had a dream, about her. Her leg was hurt in the exact same place, and I felt the pain there, just for a minute…."

Obi-wan looked at Anakin, amazed.

Anakin felt uncomfortable under his glare. Although Obi-wan was studying an interesting specimen.

Anakin stood to face Chishi. He began to speak in huttenese to her.

Finally, he turned to Obi-wan. "Chishi says the only way to stop the bloodshed is to kidnap or scare the hutts off the planet. She has some information on the base." He accepted a Data pad from Chishi and read the huttenese aloud in English to Obi-wan, Geon, and Dennar.

The base was on the other end of town, in an extremely well-guarded warehouse. The hutts were somewhere inside.

Anakin was tired of speaking huttenese, but he stood and greeted another being who walked in and began to greet Chishi. Chishi introduced him as Oran.

Oran was a general, leading the attacks of the rebel movement. Anakin discovered they had people placed strategically all around the little sand village. Anakin explained this to Obi-wan and Geon, while Dennar stood and walked around.

Anakin watched his Master and Geon think. He listened to their conversation, plans for disguising themselves as soldiers and breaking into the warehouse.

Just then, there was a bout of screaming from outside. "Padawans, go!" Obi-wan said, hurrying out. Anakin rushed behind him, while Dennar and Geon were slower, but still rushed out.

The streets erupted in blaster fire, and refugees were trapped in the cross fire.

"Protection!" Obi-wan ordered. Anakin flipped forward, igniting his light saber as he did. He gathered the force around him and turned one of the automatic blasters on a mount to shoot the others. Soon, six blasters were neutralized.

Anakin noticed Dennar struggling to deflect blaster bolts.

Anakin made sure the refugees were safe and force jumped behind the blasters, slicing clean through them.

Just then, the Hutt mercenaries rushed out, firing wildly.

Anakin disabled the blasters while still deflecting the fire. He force pushed mercenaries away, feeling a laser bolt rip by his shoulder, and shuddering from the heat.

He felt strange again. He felt everything falling away from him, another vision coming. He became frantic. _No, not now! Not in the middle of battle!_ Anakin thought fiercely.

Anakin latched onto the force and must have kept deflecting fire, but the images whirled through his head.

_She was still in pain, struggling to do something. "He never loved you!" he heard a voice ringing in her ears. But it was dry and scratchy, and he couldn't recognize it. "He abandoned you! You're like him, only worse!" He watched her struggle to get somewhere, and fell, her injured leg giving out. Tears streamed down her face._

Everything came rushing back. Obi-wan were beside him, staring at him, concerned. The blaster fire continued, and the men rushed in. Thermal detonators exploded all around. Anakin noticed a small group huddled up against the buildings. He force jumped over deflecting fire and allowing them into a cantina. He shoved the last refugee into the cantina as a detonator went off feet from him, blowing him off his feet and into the ground. He hit his head against the mesa, and his last memory was of concealing his light saber under his tunic as he lost consciousness.

The detonator smoke was thick and acrid. Obi-wan saw Anakin leap, and then explosions made him lose sight of his padawan.

The battle was over in a few minutes, and Obi-wan searched the bodies and wreckage for his padawan. His heart was in his throat, and he felt something terrible had happened.

Anakin was missing. Obi-wan looked around, looking for hit padawan's light saber. He came across a pool of blood. He sensed Anakin had been here. He sensed his padawan was hurt. And he was utterly helpless.

Chapter 4

Anakin awoke in a stinking prison. His head felt like it was burning, and he saw streams of color before his eyes. He was hurt, though he wasn't sure how badly. His chest felt oddly heavy. He opened up his tunic to find a bloody gash. His eyes adjusted, and he noticed the gleam of his light saber. He still had it. He had a chance.

He crawled over to where he found a pile of moldy food on the ground. He was nauseas when he looked at it. He dragged himself away and hid his light saber again. He studied his chest wound, and looked for anything to slow the bleeding with. He found nothing, and pressed his tunic to the wound. _Obi-wan…_ he wondered quietly. _Where are you?_

Just then, a sneering Rhodian came in and grabbed him, slinging him over him shoulder. He ignored Anakin's cry of pain. His eyes flashed another array of colors before him.

The Rhodian dumped Anakin on the floor in front of someone, to the laughs of the crowd.

Anakin forced himself to sit up, and almost vomited from the pain. He was surrounded by a variety of beings, in a personal bar, it seemed. He saw the large form of a Hutt, no doubt the tyrant Noomex. Noomex stared down at him.

"Speak, Jedi!" he cried in huttenese.

"How do you know I am a Jedi?" Anakin retorted.

"You have the braid, and you use your Jedi magic. It isn't enough to save you now, Jedi.' Noomex said.

Anakin felt rage pouring into him.

He sensed Noomex was waiting for him to lash out, so he could punish him.

"I will speak no more." Anakin said. Though it killed him not to lash out and maybe even kill Noomex, he didn't. Noomex stared at him. He wanted a show, wanted to see him thrash and struggle and fight. He would not give it to him. He was a Jedi. He knew better than to fight.

"Whip him." Noomex ordered, clearly bored. Anakin felt the whip open deep gashes in his flesh, but he didn't cry out. He wouldn't give this Hutt one bit of satisfaction.

Finally, Noomex glowered down at him, annoyed.

Then a slow smile spread across his lips.

Anakin was breathing heavily, and he knew his eyes were filled with hatred. He was starting to see spots again. He could feel the blood dripping down his back. He was going to black out soon.

"I will send you to Jabba. He will make a charade out of you." Noomex assured him. The Rhodian came and slung Anakin over his shoulder again, and the pain caused him to black out.

Obi-wan felt his Padawan's life force ebb. He was hurt- where ever he was.

His mind reeled with the possibilities of what would happen to Anakin soon.

He turned to Chishi. "We must invade now." He said quietly.

Chishi waited for his data pad to translate everything into huttenese. It was much slower without Anakin here. It sent a pang through Obi-wan, remembering.

Dennar looked downcast, and Geon, too, looked worried. Anakin had experience with the hutts, yes, but how would he handle this cruel being when he was injured? Obi-wan was afraid.

Chishi nodded at the huttenese translation and spoke quickly in huttenese. Obi-wan waited while it translated to English.

"I understand your concern for the lost one." It read.

"We must incapacitate the Hutt." Obi-wan said. "Do you know how?" it was a painfully long time before the data pad translated.

Chishi's brow creased as she read the message. Then, she nodded.

She spoke in huttenese so quickly; Obi-wan thought the data pad wouldn't be able to translate. But it did.

"The water systems. The rebels and Hutts have been fighting for it for weeks. It controls the tide of the fight. If we aren't watered, we cannot fight. It will take the Hutt too long to order in water, so if we attack the water system and they have no water for two days, we will be able to win easily.

Obi-wan nodded. "We shall attack the water system. Where is it?" The data pad translated, and Chishi gave him a digital map.

Obi-wan nodded. "Thank you." He said. The data pad didn't translate, but Chishi understood and nodded.

He turned to Dennar and Geon. They started to work.

Anakin awoke to find they were in hyperspace. He was strapped down to a metal table. He tried to move.

He wasn't in that much pain anymore. They must have healed his wounds. He felt the cold metal of his light saber against his waist. It still hadn't been taken.

_Where was he going?_ Anakin remembered the name Tatooiene. He wondered if they would be there soon. A droid walked inside and grabbed Anakin by the collar, freeing him from his metal bonds. He knew he could easily dispatch this droid with his light saber, but wondered if there was a thermal detonator installed in his body yet.

Anakin entered to find a Twilike piloting the ship.

"There is no escape, Jedi. We've reactivated the thermal detonator in your body." The pilot said.

Anakin gave him a cool nod and looked out the view screen. Tatooiene loomed before them.

Anakin felt a longing. Maybe he would see his mother again. Maybe he could free her. And something about his vision. He knew Obi-wan would be worried about him, but his comlink had been taken, as well as his utility belt. The best thing he could do, he realized, would be to wait.

They had already entered the atmosphere when Anakin felt it overcome him again.

The wind rushed in his ears, and the girl sat, her leg still bandaged, smiling.

Then, it was gone.

Anakin felt a bit more at ease, now. The girl, whoever she was, was alright.

They landed outside the Hutts palace, on the large metal platform.

The Twilike dragged Anakin to the throne room and entered.

"A gift, from your almighty cousin, Noomex." The pilot said. He handed Jabba the control to the thermal detonator located in Anakin's leg. Jabba studied it, and for a moment, Anakin thought Jabba was going to blow him up right now. But Jabba only looked bored. He motioned for the two guards to take him away.

Chapter 5

The water system was located in the middle of the town, surrounded by about five armed guards, twenty droids, and gunners that sat atop the buildings. It was clear whoever controlled the water system would win the war.

Obi-wan, when he had first learned this, was surprised the rebel forces hadn't just taken the water system and won earlier, but as he surveyed the intense security Noomex had placed around it, he realized he rebels were in no way equipped to handle this.

Obi-wan motioned to Geon, who was currently hiding on the other side of the square. He nodded, and moved forward.

The air was instantly thick with smoke and blaster fire. Obi-wan instinctively looked for Anakin beside him, and felt his heart sink when he remembered his padawan was hurt and missing.

_I'm coming, Anakin! _Obi-wan tried to send his message through the force to Anakin, but he got no sense of his padawan. His heart was instantly in his throat. He felt nauseous. Had his padawan died? Obi-wan tried to reassure himself as he surged forward, scaring away the mercenaries as he sliced through droids and fought hard.

Anakin could be weak or unconscious, or concealing his force signature. But Obi-wan wondered, still.

He used the force to push the mounted guns off the tops of the buildings, sending there operators running. Only a few mercenaries stood where once an entire group had. The water system was deserted.

Obi-wan relaxed.

He turned to Geon and Dennar. "Can you two guard the water system while I report to Chishi?" he asked. Both nodded, and he thanked them and went off.

Obi-wan realized the battle had taken a good amount of his energy as he trooped back to the hideout. He was tired, yes, but he pushed aside all thoughts of self-pity and focused. Anakin needed him.

He returned to Chishi and began to speak through his data pad.

Chishi was surprised and elated that they had succeeded in taking over the water systems.

She said within two days, they would give all there forces to attack Noomex's warehouse. But she assured him Noomex's forces would try desperately to get the water system back, and that three Jedi were needed. As Obi-wan hurried back to guard the water system with Geon and Dennar, he tried to understand the growing unease within him.

He realized it was the waiting. He had sensed earlier that his padawan was hurt, and didn't know how badly. He longed to see his apprentice with his own eyes, to make sure he was cared for properly. And, in his heart, he knew something was amiss.

He didn't want to wait two days for the chance to free his padawan.

His thoughts were interrupted by blaster fire.

Obi-wan began to run. The hour Noomex had lost the system in was hardly over with, and they were already attacking. He hurried to help his comrades.

Anakin thanked the stars he had looked like an unattractive, unwanted captured peasant given to Jabba as a meager gift by Noomex. Jabba hadn't made him do anything too appalling.

But under his filth and apparent uselessness, Jabba saw the rippling muscle and pure strength Anakin knew he had. So he had been assigned to the slaughter yard.

It was an incredibly horrifying task to Anakin.

Jabba had a herd of Banthas that he kept, and daily, twenty were driven out for the slaves to kill. He hated the scared looks in the eyes of the bantha, as they knew they were going to be killed but would fight against it. In the end, when exhaustion set in, he saw the look of no hope in there tired eyes, like the hopelessness he had felt as a slave.

He wished the Banthas were shocked quickly to a painless death, or shot, but they were ordered to slit each Bantha's throat. Then they would hand it upside down, and as it died they would drain the blood from the meat, and then gut and butcher the animal.

Anakin could kill a bantha, he knew, but he hid his skill and tried to make the least kills with his knife, trying to avoid seeing the look of helplessness in the dying creature's eyes, the horror it went through.

Many slaves were killed in the slaughter of the Banthas, though, since it was dangerous work, with workers in a pen with twenty Banthas, trying to slit their throats.

Anakin comforted a young man as he died his first day working the slaughter house, murmuring soothing words to him after he had been trampled. He spoke soothingly to the man until he was dead, and then set the body aside and silently grieved.

He later carried the young man, who was hardly older than he was, to his mother. She wept at the sight, and Anakin did all he could to offer her comfort. What if it had been him who had died, and Shmi who knelt, sobbing uncontrollably before his body?

Anakin had no doubt hated the work he did, and he knew tomorrow would entail the same horrors. He closed his eyes and fell into a sorrow-stricken, restless sleep.

Chapter 6

Obi-wan saw night had fallen around the water system. Noomex's attempts to regain the water system had all failed, so far, but no attack had come for three hours. On his first night with the water system, he felt Noomex would attack harshly. But he would not allow them to regain the water system. Anakin's life could depend on it.

Obi-wan didn't want to contemplate what was happening to his padawan now.

Suddenly, he sensed movement to the right, and leaped. Blaster fire flew, and the fighting began.

Chapter

"_One day, he will come. I know he will come!" The girl screamed at someone now. She was knocked off her feet and into a pile of droids._

"_Shut up, you slave!" the voice behind her screamed._

I can feel him._ The girl thought triumphantly. _He will come for me. Mother would not lie.

_The person Anakin hadn't seen tossed a servo driver at her, as hard as he could. She reached up and caught it before it hit her, surprising even Anakin._

"_Get the racks cleaned, slave! And have you found me the cooling unit yet?"_

"_It's buried under a mound of other stuff." The girl said quietly._

"_Well, you won't go home until you do!" the voice screamed._

_The girl ran out to a pile of old parts._

_Under a hill much larger than the girl, Anakin saw the cooling unit buried. The girl did, too. She started fighting through a tangle of wires to reach it, with the desperation of someone unloved, just wanting to go home._

_She reached the cooling unit and the pile teetered as she pulled it out. It fell. Time seemed to slow down as the girl dived, cooling unit and servo driver still in hand. Anakin almost cried out. A radiator was falling down from atop the pile, and it would no doubt kill the small girl if it landed on her._

_The girl lifted her hand that held the servo driver. Anakin felt the force around her as she pushed the heavy radiator away and dove, landing safely away, but under a shower of parts, too._

_A jagged hydro spanner fell onto her, as well as a mess of other parts. Anakin heard her gasp in pain. Then the pile shook slightly, and she used the force to free herself._

_She staggered back inside, still holding the cooling unit and servo driver. Anakin saw blood from where the jagged hydro spanner had hit her chest._

"_I retrieved the cooling unit, master." She said shakily. She offered it to him, and he ripped it from her with unnecessary force._

"_You got blood on it! And what was that crash? You've probably ruined a ton of parts! I don't know why I don't just sell you right now!" the man she called master began to rant. But she cleaned the racks as he screamed at her, threw aside her rag, and started running through the darkened streets of…where? Mos Espa._

_She knew the streets well, Anakin saw by the easy way she moved._

_She staggered, breathing hard, until she reached a mesa. She ran in, breathless. He voice was shaking with pain. "Mother!" She cried out, clearly in pain. "Mother!" He could see no more. The force wouldn't let him. But he felt energy around him, enveloping the girl. Love unbelievable love. Love he had felt only a few times in his life. Concern. Pain._

"Up! Get up you dung crawlers, up!" A slave overseer rushed around, and Anakin felt his dream melt away. But he knew it was real. He needed to break free, and find the girl. He needed to get to Mos Espa.

He struck down two Banthas that charged him before noon. He still didn't want to kill the creatures, but he wouldn't let himself be hurt or die, since the young girl needed him. He tried to think of how to get to Mos Espa. He knew he would have to cross an endless stretch of dessert.

And then he would have to free the girl. He had no doubt she was a slave. But first, he must free himself.

He looked down at his knife, covered in Bantha's blood. He knew what he must do, And he would do it soon, as soon as arrangements could be made.

The morning light in the dessert was a welcome thing for all three Jedi. Noomex's attacks had grown savage in the night, but they had held onto the water supply. And with each hour in the dessert heat, the forces of Noomex grew, no doubt, weaker.

Tomorrow, or the day when Chishi deemed the forces of Noomex weak enough, they would attack. Obi-wan would liberate Anakin. They would return to the Jedi temple successful, and life would be normal again. Though, in the back of his mind, Obi-wan knew something about this mission would change his and Anakin's life.

Chapter 7

Anakin waited in the Bantha pen. It was his second day enslaved here. He waited until no one could see him, and used the force to push down a section of the pen holding the Bantha's. Quickly, they escaped into the dessert. They managed to kill three, but the remaining seventeen weren't caught by nightfall.

While the overseers were still upset about the lost Bantha's, and no doubt there lost pay, Anakin slipped his Bantha butchering knife into his tunic, using the force to keep it concealed from the overseers.

In the men's quarters, he waited until most were asleep. He used the force to sense where the thermal detonator inside him was. He would need to disarm it.

He sensed it in the fleshy part of his calf, a small device, no bigger than a human eye. He wondered how a device so small could kill a human being.

Among the smells of stinking bodies and sickness, the smell of Anakin's blood wasn't noticed as he used his bantha knife to cut into his leg. He bit his lip, trying to scream out in pain as he did. He quickly slashed an x in his skin. He shook from the agony as he reached his two fingers inside, being careful not to detonate the explosive as he slowly withdrew it. He realized it was tethered to his muscles, and he quickly broke the wire with the tip of his knife, feeling it scratch deep along his leg as he pulled it out. He exhaled and inhaled slowly, fighting back the urge to vomit and black out. He cut off part of his tunic and bound the wound with rags. He had to dispose of the detonator now.

He used the force to trick the guard into letting him into the bantha pen, and staggered forward. He could sense the loose bantha in the dessert night.

He summoned the force when he thought he was near enough one and jumped onto its back. The animal reared in surprised, and jostled Anakin's wound. But he held on and calmed the creature, riding it towards the west, where the twin suns of Tatooiene set, and where Mos Espa lay. He tossed the detonator far off; his absence wouldn't be noted until tomorrow, He rode the bantha at a constant pace, towards what he knew to be Mos Espa.

Chapter 8

The second night, Noomex's army was, no doubt, weaker, and the attacks were lesser and more easily defeated than the night before. Still, Obi-wan sensed Anakin's pain and was pulled back towards his worry. _Where was his padawan? How badly was he hurt? _ Obi-wan sensed Anakin was far away. Even farther away than he had imagined. Had Noomex moved his hideout? Was his padawan close to death? The thoughts tore at Obi-wan as he waited in the dreary silence.

He could sense Noomex growing weaker, but Chishi insisted they wait a third day, and attack during the third night. Obi-wan had pushed aside his growing frustration. After all, they needed the rebel forces in order to infiltrate Noomex's warehouse and free Anakin.

Dawn was breaking. He sighed, only a few more hours, and he would see his padawan again, and his worry would stop. He tried to relax, but couldn't. He let the force wash over him and calm his mind, heighten his senses. There was hardly anything to do but worry, anyways, since they were so close to winning.

Obi-wan prepared his mind for the coming battle.

Chapter 9

Anakin reached the outskirts of Mos Espa, and dismounted the Bantha. He felt his injured leg scream in protest, but he knew if he rode in on a Bantha, he would be considered suspicious. He slapped the Bantha's rump, and it ran back off into the dessert.

He was thirsty and hungry, but he was close now. He could tell he was close.

He let the force guide him as he limped through the streets of Mos Espa- he still knew them well.

He longed to go check on his mother, be sure she was alright, free her, take her back to the Jedi temple with him. But he knew he had to find the girl first. He felt the girl and his mother were linked somehow, anyways.

Anakin was surprised none of the shopkeepers he had known as a child recognized him. He wondered about Jira. He stopped by her stand. The cooling unit he had given to her was still working, thankfully, and she looked much less wilted as she sat in the hot sun in her fruit stand.

"Hello." Anakin said quietly. He studied his old friend. She squinted down at him. "Ani Skywalker, as that you?" she whispered. Anakin grinned and nodded at her.

"My stars!" Jira gasped, hand to her mouth. "Look how you've grown! You're a jedi, I hear."

Anakin shook his head. "Still training. But the force has brought me here. I have to find someone, though I don't know why."

Jira nodded, and then smiled. "Go to Wattoo's, dear. I think you'll find your answer there." Anakin was puzzled, but he nodded. "Thank you, Jira. I'll do that."

Jira handed him a sweet fruit, she knew they were his favorite.

"Jira, I can't pay for this." He said, trying to give it back to her. Jira shook her head and smiled.

"My contribution to the Jedi of the galaxy." She said, smiling.

Anakin bowed his head. "Thank you, Jira.' He said quietly.

He walked on, promising himself he would say a proper goodbye to his old friend this time.

Jira had given him an overripe frit, since she knew he loved the softness of the fruit in his mouth, and the sticky sweet juice. He bit into it and juices ran down his throat, quelling his hunger and thirst.

He limped towards Wattoo's junk store, praying his old slave master wouldn't recognize him.

He entered quietly to find no one there.

Just then, little blue wattoo entered, hovering on his blue wings. He nearly swore when he saw Anakin. "Don't just go sneaking around here, boy!" he cried.

"Anna, get in here!" Wattoo seemed agitated, even more than normal.

He still yelled when a potential customer entered, trying to make himself look important. He saw the small girl limp inside, her left calf still bandaged, and, no doubt, a jagged cut under her rough tunic.

"Yes, master?" she asked quietly.

"Serve this man!" Wattoo demanded.

The girl called Anna stooped short when she saw him. Anakin did, too. She was the girl he had dreamt about, the one he had so many times. She looked to be around three, and even tinier than Anakin had thought.

She limped out, though, before wattoo could yell more.

Anakin followed behind her.

As soon as they were out of earshot, behind the shop, the girl ran up and hugged him. "Ani!" she cried joyfully. Anakin was slightly shocked at her eagerness.

"You came! I knew you would come! I knew you were close. I could feel you! Mom told me you would come for me someday." She grinned up at him.

Anakin nodded slightly.

He was beginning to get a good idea. "Who is mom?" he asked quietly.

Anna's face fell. "Shmi, of course! You remember her, right?" Anakin saw the concern in her eyes.

Quickly he nodded. "Yes, I could never forget my mother." Anakin assured her.

He looked down at the girl in disbelief. "So, you're my sister?" Anakin asked.

Anna nodded. "Yup. Mom told me you went off to be a jedi before I was born, but she promised me you'd come back for us! And you did!"

Anakin stared down at his sister in disbelief. Then he remembered Wattoo. "Pretend you're trying to get me to buy something." Anakin said quickly. "Or wattoo will be mad."

Anna nodded and took his hand, showing him around.

"These are where I toss all the old radiators." She showed him a pile of greasy parts.

"And I toss the hydro spanners and servo drivers here." She showed him another pile.

"All the main-circuitry components go here." This pile was heaping with parts.

"And this." She motioned to the rest of the junk yard, "Is where wattoo dumps the rest of the stuff for me to sort!"

Anakin grinned. Sounded typical of Wattoo.

"Oh! And here's the best part! Be really quiet!" The little girl took him behind a gigantic pile of rubble. There sat the grimy shell of a 4682 freighter.

"wow." Anakin stared. It was an incredibly rare, almost precious find in the junking world.

"Can we go inside?" he asked.

Anna shook her head. "Wattoo's been trying to fix it for a month. He won't let me inside, since he thinks I'll mess it up. But he's desperate to fix it."

Anakin nodded. Wattoo never trusted anyone else with the things he called typically precious.

Anna looked up at him and smiled. "Pretty wizard, right?" Anakin nodded.

Just then, Wattoo fluttered out on his blue wings. He saw them.

"You worthless slave! Snooping around where you don't belong!" Wattoo moved in to strike her.

Instinctively, Anakin grabbed his hand before he could.

Wattoo pulled away in shock.

"Get out of here, boy!" he yelled.

"Fine, then I _won't _fix the star cruiser!' Anakin yelled back, before it was even in his mind.

Anna stood beside him, looking a bit worried.

Wattoo stared. "You know how to fix it?" he asked, awed.

Anakin nodded. "I'm an intergalactic pilot, and I know ships like my own name." Anakin had to admit he was stretching the truth here. But he was sure he could fix the cruiser.

"Then get in there and fix it!" wattoo yelled, overly anxious. "I'm not your slave!" Anakin retorted, stopping himself just before he said anymore, and blew his cover.

"So the question it, what will you give me to fix it?" he asked.

Wattoo looked around frantically.

"Anything!" he said frantically.

"Two slaves." Anakin said. He sincerely hoped he could free his mother, too.

Wattoo shook his head. "I lost a slave once before already. One slave."

Anakin sighed inwardly. That would have to do.

"Fine. If I fix your freighter, I get the girl." He said, motioning to Anna. She looked up in shock.

"Fine! Fine!" Wattoo agreed. "But the thing has to fly."

"It'll fly." Anakin agreed. "But I used the your parts."

Wattoo nodded. "Deal.' he said quietly.

"And the girl gets to help me." Anakin said, meaning Anna.

Wattoo shook his head. "I need the girl." Wattoo said.

Anakin nodded and shook hands with Wattoo. Anna started to walk back with her master, but she grinned at him over her shoulder.

Anakin grinned back and entered the freighter.

The engine had the subatomic power converter and the other main parts. But he needed lots more parts.

Around midday, he was sweating and hungry again.

He heard a little clanking sound beside him. A small sack floated inside with the force. Anakin opened it. It held a small meal, just enough for someone tiny.

Anakin shook his head. "I won't eat your lunch." He said.

He heard a small sigh, and Anna jumped easily into the shell of a ship, a large part wrapped in rags in toe.

"I found you something." She said quietly. She was sweaty and grease-covered, but her face cracked into an overjoyed grin as she pulled aside the rags to reveal a large radiator. He had needed one of those, but didn't want to scavenge for it- it was hard, hot work. Now he felt guilty, seeing his little sister drag this huge part aboard.

"Thanks." Anakin said. He dragged it over to where he'd need it later. "How'd you know I needed it?" he asked.

Anna shrugged. "I've snuck inside a few times before, had a look or two." Anakin grinned. She sounded just like him. She opened the small sack and removed a small loaf of brown bread, a large overripe fruit, and a few roona berries, and a small dead snake.

Anakin lifted out the snake and studied it.

"Have some." Anna urged him. "I killed it myself. It's a blue noon striker. They taste great."

She tore the loaf of bread in half and handed it to him. "You look starved." She said.

"_I _looked starved?" Anakin said quietly, indicating the tiny girl before him, with skin stretched over her bones tightly. Anna shrugged his comment off. "I haven't been hunting lately." She said.

She tore hungrily into her loaf of bread. Anakin tried to get her to eat the other half, but she wouldn't, so he reluctantly ate it. Anna handed him the overripe fruit, and he ate half of it, giving the rest to his sister. She divided the roona berries and cut the snake open with a sharpened piece of durasteel. She tossed the organs out and handed half the meat to Anakin; He ate it. He hadn't eaten a snake in a while, but Anna was right- it was delicious.

"What else do you need?" Anna asked when they had finished the small meal.

Anakin shrugged. "A few power cells, a currency redirector, a fusion calibrator, cooling unit, and a bunch more stuff."

Anna nodded and slipped out of the ship, hurrying to go get the parts.

She came in a few minutes later with six power cells, depositing it beside him. In an hour, she dragged in the fusion calibrator. The currency redirector arrived a few minutes later, and before the hour was up, the cooling unit.

"Anything else?" she asked. Anakin nodded. "A servo driver." She handed him the one from her pocket.

"Thanks." He said.

"Can I watch?" she asked quietly.

"As long as wattoo doesn't catch you." Anakin said quietly.

She was much better at helping than watching, Anakin found. It was much easier for her to crawl behind numerous parts and bolt in the radiator, and her tiny fingers could reach into crevices and tighten nuts and screws.

She even noticed when he installed the hyper drive backwards.

By the time dusk came, wattoo came around. Shadow dove into a heap of parts, pretending to get a motivator.

Wattoo entered the ship. "How're you doing, boy?" Wattoo asked him.  
In response, Anakin turned on the ship. The engine coughed, then turned over and purred like a dune cat.

Wattoo stared, amazed.

"Can she fly yet?" he asked, excited.

Anakin shook his head. "No. That'll happen tomorrow. And, dismiss the girl." Anakin said. Wattoo looked disgusted, but he obeyed Anakin.

Anakin walked behind his tiny sister through the darkened streets of Mos Espa, towards the slave quarters. He felt the feeling of anxiety grow, as he wondered about his mother. Anna sensed this and was quiet, limping through the streets as fast as she could with him. Finally, Anakin grew tired of watching her struggle to keep pace with him. He lifted her up and carried her, bridal style, home.

Anna nestled against his chest, as if surprised and elated at the same time. She was much lighter than she should have been, Anakin noted, not weighing more than forty pounds. He knew he must feel warm in the chill wind of Tatooiene, because she nestled up against him and closed her eyes. Her breathing slowed, and Anakin knew she was asleep. He didn't mind much, since he still remembered the streets of Mos Espa well. Thought the wind picked up, and he knew he'd have to hurry home.

A sand storm was coming.

He arrived and closed the door behind him. "Hello?" he called looking around.

"Ani!" instantly, he was wrapped in his mother's embrace, and he clung to her, still holding Anna with one hand. It had been so long since he had felt his mother's gentle touch. "You're shaking." Shmi pulled away, concerned.

She shuttered the windows of their house with scrap sheets of metal Anakin had rigged up there years ago.

He went through the familiar procedure of stuffing rags in all the cracks and under the doors, and tied down the metal shutters with some old rope he had found, keeping them down firmly.

"Is Anna alright?" Shmi asked worriedly. Anakin nodded. "She was limping, so, I carried her… and she fell asleep."

Anakin's voice was far away as he stared at his mother. He hugged her again, this time never wanting to let go. "Oh, Ani." She said quietly, holding him against her.

"I… I missed you… so… much…." Anakin's voice was shaking, he realized.

"I am proud of what you have become, my son." She said, smiling.

Just then, the first round of sand battered against the shutters. Anakin didn't jump as sand still got in through the cracks of the house, sweeping in slightly.

Anna started to cough from where Anakin had laid her on the bedroll.

Shmi went to her, and Anakin removed his outer tunic and placed it over her nose and mouth, trying to filter out the sand.

"Is she alright?" Anakin asked quietly, his voice was almost drown out by the wind.

Shmi nodded. "She normally inhales sand a lot." She said. "Let's go to the other room." Anakin nodded. It had been his old room, where both he and his mother had slept.

There were no windows in it, so they had often sheltered there in the long sandstorms, safe inside the mesa.

There was no door to this room, but the noise of the sand beating the mesa outside was quieter here.

Anakin laid Anna out on what had used to be his bed. Droid parts were scattered all around her bed and on the floor.

Anakin looked around, slightly in disbelief.

Shmi smiled warmly at him. "She takes after you." She explained.

Anakin nodded, and Anna stirred. Shmi picked up a servo driver from the mess on the floor and placed it in her hand. Anna curled up against it.

"Who is her father?" Anakin asked gently.

Shmi shook her head. "She has no father. She is like you."

Anakin nodded. "The force is strong with her."

Shmi looked to him quietly. "You will free her, won't you?" Shmi asked.

"I already made a deal with Wattoo. I'll free her, yes. And then I'll come back for you." Anakin assured her.

"Take her to the temple. She belongs there." Shmi assured him.

Anakin nodded. "I had visions of her. But I couldn't see you. I saw her, though. She was hurt twice."

Shmi nodded. "I must change the bandages."

She went over to a pile of rags.

Gently, she rolled up Anna's pant leg. Anakin gently walked over and sat beside his sister, stroking her hair. He watched his mother gently remove the bandages. Anna didn't flinch. Anakin looked at the gaping wound in horror.

It was cut open to bone.

Shmi gently cleaned the wound and wrapped if again.

"Some bandits got into a knife fight, and she was hit." Shmi explained.

"And she was hit by a hydro spanner in the chest." Anakin said quietly.

Shmi nodded. "Yes. You always could know things, Ani." She smiled gently and turned to open Anna's tunic. She changed the bandage there, too, and then laid her down.

She coughed again, and Anakin watched her struggle to breath. Her eyelids fluttered open.

"Mother!" She clung to Shmi desperately, gasping for breath.

Anakin gently peeled her away. He nodded to Shmi, and her worry vanished.

He sat up on the bed. Anna crawled onto his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck, laying her head against his chest.

Anakin gathered the force around him, like a protecting net, and Anna sensed this and was calm. She fell asleep against him.

"Thank you." Shmi said, smiling.

"You're welcome." Anakin said, smiling sleepily and closing his eyes.

"You are tired, my son." Shmi said. Anakin felt calm sleeping near his mother, and he smiled.

Chapter 10

The night was dark, and Obi-wan knew the time had come for the attack. Chishi agreed. They left Geon to guard the water supply, while Dennar and Obi-wan, as well as Oran, led the forces into the ware- house.

Obi-wan and Dennar would lead the way, pushing through the droids, since they were the only soldiers that hadn't left.

Obi-wan and Dennar entered, force pushing the main doors of the place open. Inside fifty droids waited, and Obi-wan and Dennar charged inside.

Obi-wan noticed Dennar having problems fending off so many droids. He felt frustration rise in him. Dennar's battle rhythm was unfamiliar to him, and he was much less gifted than Anakin. Obi-wan fought and pushed the feeling down inside him. Not every padawan was like Anakin, he reminded himself. Anakin was special.

The droids were almost finished when Obi-wan sliced through the final five with his light saber. He reached out with the force, trying to sense Anakin, calling out to his apprentice. He received no response.

Oran and the rest of the rebels, a force of about fifty soldiers, entered, weapons ready.

Obi-wan sensed Noomex the Hutt to the left, and motioned Dennar to follow him.

They walked through a dismal room, and into a throne room. The only person who sat there was Noomex. He looked a deeper shade of green than he should be, and he looked wilted from the lack of water.

He gave a groan as the rebels entered. He spoke rapidly in huttenese.

His protocol droid translated. "You have won. We shall go with you wherever you will take us." The droid said evenly.

Obi-wan stepped forward. "Where is Anakin?" he asked.

Noomex looked puzzled.

"My apprentice." He said. The droid translated.

Noomex let a slow smile spread over his face. He coughed, since his throat was dry. "He gave us no show of pain or weakness. I have gifted him to my cousin, Jabba." The droid translated.

Obi-wan felt the reality crash down around him. His padawan wasn't here. He was gone, Again. On Tatooiene.

Obi-wan hid his frustration and rage and nodded. He looked to the rebels. "We will take Noomex to Courasant, where he will await trial.' Obi-wan said calmly.

Oran nodded. "It is with my great thanks to you, Jedi." Noomex's droid translated. "We certainly hope you find the lost one."

Obi-wan nodded.

"Thank you." He said quietly. They parted ways. Obi-wan had already called for another ship from the Jedi, by Oran graciously gave them a rebel transport.

Obi-wan contacted the Jedi temple, asking for permission to find his padawan. It was given.

Dennar and Geon would hitch a ride back to the temple on a freighter, while Obi-wan would use the rebel transport to go to Tatooiene. He hoped Anakin would be alright.

Chapter 11

"Hand me the hydro spanner, will you?" Anakin asked Anna nodded and gave it to him. Anakin was struggling to re-install the hyper drive into the old freighter, since he had installed it backwards yesterday. It was tight fit in against the radiator and the main atomic generator.

Anakin sighed as he tried to force the servo driver through the gap. It wouldn't fit through to tighten the bolts.

"Anna, I'm going to see if there's a smaller servo driver. See what you can do with the engines."

Anna nodded, and he left. Anakin knew he was going to have trouble with the hyper drive.

Anna slipped under the subatomic generator and easily slid her small hand between it and the hyper drive. She tightened all the bolts moved behind to give everything a routine check.

Anakin had found nothing that would work for what he needed. He sighed and went aboard the freighter shell again.

He noticed the odd silence. "Anna?" He called. "Anna?"

He heard a small clanking sound. "In here!" the muffled call came. Anakin couldn't believe it when he found her crawling around behind the engine.

"What are you doing?" he asked. "Checking things over." She replied lightly. "I fixed the hyper drive." Anakin nudged it with his foot. It was firmly bolted in place. "So you did." He said. He wrinkled his nose at the rotting odor coming from the engine.

"See if you can find what stinks back there." He ordered.

He heard some more small clinks and a scuffling noise. A moment later, Anna emerged, a dead hankik bird in hand. "Found it." She said.

Anakin wrinkled his nose at the sight of the ugly, naked dessert bird.

"Certainly does stink. Where's you find it?" he asked. "The main ignition switch. It much have been caught in it."

Anakin nodded and tossed it outside.

"I think you've helped me get the main parts up to snuff." He said, whipping his greasy hands on a rag. "Now, let's go de-gunk the side engines."

Anna nodded and followed behind him eagerly.

The three smaller engines were mainly just small clogged oil valves and power cell upgrades that needed to be fixed.

Anakin found, to his frustration, he couldn't fit his hand into the clogged oil values to clean them. Anna took the rag from him and easily swabbed them all clear while Anakin changed the power cells.

He nodded to her once they were done.

"Now, we just need to fix up the nav computer, and she'll fly."

Anna nodded eagerly and dragged in a broken Nav computer. Anakin removed the parts from it and replaced those in the other Nav computer. It powered up without a hitch.

"It's ready." Anakin announced finally. He was hungry, though. "Want to eat lunch?" he asked. Anna shrugged. "Sure." She sat down and watched as Anakin opened the sack Shmi had packed them.

There was enough food for the two of them, this time. Anakin handed Anna her half of the bread. She stared at hit distastefully, and then placed it back in the bag.

Anakin was a bit worried now. Anna should be starving now, too.

"Aren't you hungry?" Anakin asked.

She shook her head. "No, I'm not, really."

Anakin felt his worry turn to genuine concern. "Are you well?" he felt her forehead. She seemed a bit warm.

"Anakin, I'm always warm on his planet." She assured him. "Now go take Wattoo for a flight so we can go home." Anakin nodded. He could only coax his sister to eat a few bites of bread and sip some water.

He was worried.

But he had her stay in the junk yard as he flew wattoo over Mos Espa.

Wattoo was surprised, but happy.

"Take your little slave girl. I'll be rich after I sell this!" he said, amazed.

Anakin nodded and landed the ship.

He found Anna waiting, an excited gleam in her eyes. But he sensed something else, too.

He had Anna wait outside while he signed papers, regarding who owned Anna and the deactivation of the thermal detonator in her body.

Anakin emerged, papers in hand, and found her.

Her cheeks were flushed red, and her breathing was heavy. She looked tired.

"Anna! What's wrong?" his sister leaned into him. "Just tired." She said quietly. "I'll be fine." Anakin could feel her shaking he lifted her up. He had to get her home.

Wattoo eyed him as he left. "No undoing the trade." He said firmly. "Just because she's sick isn't my problem."

Anakin was once again disgusted with Wattoo. "Wouldn't give her back to you for my life." He nearly spat at him. He hurried home.

Chapter 11

Obi-wan watched the ship go out of hyper drive around noon, above the sandy planet of Tatooiene. He sensed his padawan on this planet. He just had to find him.

Obi-wan knew the coordinates of the Hutt palace. He punched them into the Nav computer and waited. The ship was old and slow, but it was faster than hitching a ride of a freighter.

He waited as he landed the ship roughly on the sand dunes by Jabba's palace. He started walking.

As he reached the entrance to the palace, several armed guards came out.

Of course. With a crime lord as cruel and wealthy as Jabba, someone was bound to try to kill him.

"I mean no harm." Obi-wan said simply. "I'm simply looking for someone."

Obi-wan handed over his light saber. He was led into the throne room of Jabba the Hutt.

Obi-wan bowed before him. The Hutt seemed pleased.

"Almighty Jabba, I come only in search of a lost friend. He is a Padawan, captured by Noomex the hut and mistakenly sent here to you as a gift." Obi-wan said. He sent the force around him, trying to sense his apprentice. He felt something fleeting about Anakin here.

Jabba's face clouded over. He began to yell in huttenese. The protocol droid waited to translate, trying to censor out the many profanities Jabba had used.

"A slave sent as a gift from Noomex escaped three days ago or so." The droid said neutrally. "Jabba will cooperate in any way he can to find him. If he is found, the Hutts insist you bring him here to receive punishment. Also, a thermal detonator was implanted in him, as is protocol for all our slaves. It was detonated two days ago. You may or may not find the boy's remains. You are dismissed."

Obi-wan had so many more questions to ask, but Jabba had dismissed him, and Obi-wan knew better than to anger a Hutt.

Obi-wan walked three clicks out, heart in his mouth, blood pounding in his ears. He found the place where the thermal detonator had exploded. There was some red sand, a sign of blood, but no charred remain. Obi-wan felt his knees go weak with the relief. But still, he had seen the blood in the sand. Had his padawan been hurt? Why had he escaped? Hadn't he known Obi-wan would come for him?

Obi-wan felt a pang at the thought Anakin wouldn't trust him to rescue him. But, why else had he run off?

The vision. It was the one answer that came to his mind.

But where had his padawan gone to? He sat down in the sand, calling on the force to tell him. He sensed Anakin had headed west, but the only place that lay west of here Anakin would go to would be… Mos Espa. The place where Qui-gon had found him. Had his padawan deserted the Jedi in order to free his mother? Obi-wan felt even more uncertain than before.

The sun was beginning to set now, and he would barely make it back to the ship in time, let alone be able to travel to Mos Espa by nightfall. He was stuck for another day, without his padawan.

Chapter 11

"Mother?" Anakin rushed inside, Anna in his arms. She was feverish and pale.

Her breath came in short gasps.

"It's alright, Anakin.' Anna said. She was interrupted by a fit of coughing. Anakin laid her on her bed and tried to comfort her. She spit out a mouthful of sand she had coughed up.

Anakin hurried to get her water to drink.

"I'm alright, Ani." She said quietly. "It's… normal." She crawled onto his lap, body burning with fever. Anakin felt the heat rolling off her like a dessert sun, but he held her and helped her through her coughing fits in her sleep, and constantly woke her and forced her to drink.

At dusk, Shmi came home to find Anakin sitting, with Anna on his lap, stroking her hair.

Shmi rushed to him. "Mother.' Anakin looked terrified and relieved. He had been so helpless, so afraid.

Shmi looked down at Anna and nodded. "She is almost better." She assured Anakin. "It happens normally after a sand storm. The sand in her lungs must cause it."

Anakin nodded, but he also felt something else inside him. Worry.

"She was freed today, mother." He said.

Shmi wrapped him in a joyous hug. "Oh, Ani!" she said, smiling and wiping away tears. "Now she will be where she belongs."

Anakin nodded.

"How will you get to the temple?" Shmi asked quietly.

"My Master, and mentor, Obi-wan Kenobi will come soon." Anakin said. Saying the name, he sensed his master was already on the planet.

"He is already on the planet." Anakin said quietly. "We will leave soon…."

Shmi wrapped him in a hug. "It is alright, Ani.' She said. "I know you must fulfill your destiny."

"I don't want to leave you again, mom." Anakin said. He felt a tear falling down his cheek.

"Shhh…' Shmi whipped the tear away and embraced him. "I will be with you always my son, in your heart." Anakin looked up at her sad smile. "I will remember you always." He promised her.

Shmi looked down at Anna. Anakin felt her forehead. "Her fever broke." He said, smiling. Anna's eyelids fluttered open.

"Ani?" she asked. Anakin hugged her tightly. "You scared me." He said.

Anna shook her head and sat up. "I tried to tell you, it was normal." She said.

She looked up expectantly. "You are troubled." She said. Anakin was surprised at the depth of her force connection, even for such a young child.

"We must leave soon, for the Jedi temple." Anakin told her. "My mentor, Obi-wan Kenobi, will be coming to get us soon."

He saw the same heartbreak of her face that he felt. "Mom?" she asked questioningly.

Anakin shook his head. "She cannot come. I am sorry.'

Shmi wrapped them both in hugs that seemed to last forever. Each child wished it would, and they could stay in the safety of their mother's embrace forever.

"Anna, I have been preparing you for this." Shmi said quietly. "I told you your brother would come for you one day."

"But that makes it no easier." Anna said quietly. Anakin watched the tears run down her cheeks, saw the conflict on her face as she tried to hold back her sobs.

"Rest, now. We will be together for this night." Shmi said.

Anakin coaxed Anna to drink more water, and they both fell asleep wrapped in her mother's arms.

Dawn came early.

Anakin found he didn't want to leave his sleeping mother's gentle embrace. But Anna already had.

He found her on the floor in front of her bed, working furiously on something.

Gently, he removed himself from Shmi's arms and strode over to her.

"What are you doing?" he asked quietly.

He saw the mainframe of a battle droid spread out on the floor in front of her.

"We cannot leave her here, alone, with nothing." Anna said, quickly wiping her eyes on her shirt.

"She has to have something to help her." Anakin nodded and sat down beside his sister, grabbing a spare servo driver and helping.

By the time the sun had risen, it was finished.

The droid stood and walked to the kitchen.

"Set the table."  
Anakin ordered. The droid took out the rough wooden bowls they had and set three on the table.

"Prepare for sand storm." Anakin ordered.

The droid walked over and tied down the metal shutters, then shoved rags under the door.

"Get the door." Anakin ordered. The droid obediently opened the door. When it registered no one was there, he closed it.

"Start the fire." Anakin ordered. The droid lit a fire in there small hearth.

"What's going on?" Shmi stood in the doorway, a bemused smile on her face.

"We built you a droid to help while we were gone." Anna blurted out.

"A droid will never replace you two." She said quietly. "But each time I use it, I will remember you both."

Anakin nodded and smiled.

"It has 40 commands programed." Anakin said, writing out each one on a small booklet of rough paper Shmi had.

"If you ever feel threatened, tell it to defend. It snaps the neck of any intruder." Anakin said

Shmi looked surprised. "Ani, I don't need it to do that." She said. "What if it goes haywire? Besides, you know I don't like beings killing other beings."

Anakin sighed and erased the command.

He had the droid bring over a bowl of fruit.

They sat down to breakfast.

"Obi-wan will come today." Anakin said quietly. "I feel it."

"He's nervous." Anna commented.

Anakin nodded. He could feel Obi-wan's nervousness as well. He was amazed Anna could sense things about a being she had never met.

"Then you two must be ready for him." Shmi said.

"Come on, pack everything up."

Anakin and Anna exchanged sad looks, but did as they were told.

Anakin found Anna dumping three outfits and all the droid parts she could fit into her bag.

"It'll be heavy." Anakin warned, thinking of all the metal inside.

To his surprise, Anna used the force to set it beside the door.

He did the same.

"Show me your light saber." Anna asked quietly.

Anakin removed it from where he had hidden it inside his tunic. He ignited it. It glowed blue in the windowless room.

Anna stared at it in awe.

"Look what a Jedi you have become." Shmi said, her eyes shining with pride. Anakin quickly deactivated his light saber, embarrassed. "Anna wanted to see if." He mumbled.

Shmi sat on the bed and looked at her two children, prepared to go.

"You two must focus on becoming a Jedi.' She said quietly. "Do not worry about me." Anakin and Anna nodded, but even Shmi knew they would still worry.

"I will always be in your hearts when you need me." She assured them. 'is there anyone else you need to say goodbye to?" she asked.

"Jira." Both Anakin and Anna said at the same time.

Shmi smiled. "Go and say good bye to that sweet old soul." She said.

Anakin and Anna navigated the streets of Mos Espa easily, getting to the fruit stand.

Jira smiled as she saw them approach. "I see you've found whatever your force was calling you to do, Ani." She said, smiling down at Anna.

"Yes. Thank you, Jira. We have to leave later today, so we came to say good bye."

Jira nodded knowingly. "You finally decided to say good bye this time, Ani." She said. Anakin blushed. "I'm sorry Jira, I-"

Jira shushed them both. "It's alright."

She handed them both a piece of fruit.

"Go now, you two, and know you've made this old woman's life a lot easier."

Anakin and Anna returned her smile, until they turned the corner and were out of sight.

They walked along the cantinas until they passed a bare lot where a group of children were playing ball.

They all stopped when they saw Anna and ran over.

"Anna!" one girl cried.

"She's with the jedi." Another boy whispered.

"She doesn't know a Jedi! She's just a slave!" another boy whispered.

"Are you with the Jedi who fixed Wattoo's ship?" one girl asked.

"Yes." Anna said, clearly proud. "He fixed it and Wattoo paid him with me. Now I'm going to be a Jedi."

One older boy sneered. "You're not going to be a Jedi. You're just a Jedi's slave!"

"Jedi do not have slaves.' Anakin stepped forward to face the boy. "And you will leave my sister alone."

"You're no jedi." The boy sneered. "You're just a boy with a braid in his hair."

Wordlessly, Anakin ignited his light saber.

As quickly as he did, he extinguished it and concealed it again inside his tunic.

"You stole that." The boy said. But Anakin saw the fear in his eyes.

Anakin noticed the ball they had been playing with laying in the dirt some distance off. He used the force, and the ball flew into his hand. The children stared on in amazement.

"Watch your temper." Anakin warned the boy. "This is a rough place. Someday, you might anger someone who is less merciful than a Jedi.'

Anakin tossed him the ball and walked on, Anna trailing behind him.

"Now what do we do?' Anna was asking him.

Just then, Anakin saw a ship landing on the outskirts of Tatooiene. "We get ready." Anakin said quietly. "My master is here."

Obi-wan landed on the outskirts of Tatooiene, just like he and Qui-gon had so many years ago.

Obi-wan felt the memories rushing back.

But he knew he had to find Anakin. He sensed his padawan was close.

Oran had been kind enough to supply the ship with a speeder, and Obi-wan rode off, towards where he sensed Anakin was.

Anakin was waiting outside the mesa when Obi-wan arrived, but he didn't carry his own bundle. Only one that appeared to belong to the girl.

There was a woman standing behind Anakin, and Obi-wan knew it must be Shmi, his mother. He strode towards them looking at Anakin, concerned.

He stopped a few feet from his padawan. "Are you alright, Anakin?" he asked.

Anakin nodded, and Shmi stepped forward. Obi-wan was afraid Shmi was going to forbid obi-wan from taking her son again, but instead she smiled. "Obi-wan. Ani has told me so much about you. I am thankful you have taken him on as padawan."

Obi-wan nodded kindly to Shmi. "Anakin has told me much of you, too. You are very kind."

Shmi blushed. Obi-wan looked to Shmi again.

Obi-wan looked again at Anakin, concerned. "Are you well, Anakin?" he asked.

"Yes, master." Anakin replied. Why was Anakin avoiding his eyes? Then he noticed the girl standing beside him, holding his hand.

"And who is this?" Obi-wan asked, smiling down at Anna. She leaned closer to Anakin.

"Obi-wan, this is my sister. Anna. She's force sensitive too."

Obi-wan nodded. "I felt her force signature from miles away."

Anna looked up at them both, confused.

"obi-Kenobi?" she asked quietly.

Obi-wan chuckled. "I suppose you can call me that." He said.

Obi-wan looked at Shmi questioningly for a moment, and Shmi motioned for him to follow.

Anakin sat down and Shadow crawled into his lap, studying the hilt of his light saber.

Obi-wan tried to devote his full attention to Shmi as they walked.

"Obi-wan, Anna is like Anakin." Shmi began. "She, too, has no father, and I can only guess that, like him, she was conceived by the force.'

"Anakin freed her, I heard he fixed a ship in exchange for her- and now she is free. She doesn't belong here, and as much as it pains me to give her up, I know it is for the best, as it was with Anakin."

Obi-wan nodded. "The force is strong with her. I cannot contact my superior out her, since we rarely have range in the outer rim, but… I'll bring her with me, yes."

Shmi smiled. 'It will be good for Anakin, too, I believe."

Obi-wan nodded. He thought the same was true, too.

"I will take good care of them. I promise." Obi-wan said. Shmi nodded, but he couldn't help but notice a tear falling down her cheek.

Anna was leaning against Anakin now, her little hand hidden in his. She nestled up against his chest and closed her eyes.

"Are you two ready?" Obi-wan asked quietly.

Anakin nodded, and he and Anna quickly ran back to their mother. They took a minute or two to say good bye, and then they went, on the star cruiser, with Obi-wan.

Obi-wan studied Anakin for a moment. His padawan smiled down at his sister, and Obi-wan knew Anakin's troubling vision had left him. They would talk later.

"You can explore, if you want." Obi-wan told Anna. "Just be careful."

Anna nodded and scampered around the ship, studying the escape pods, cargo holds, nav computer, and anything else she could find.

Anakin sat in the pilot seat, while Obi-wan watched Anna race around, clearly excited.

Then, she summoned the force and jumped easily into the copilot's seat.

Before Anakin could stop her, she flipped about fifteen switches.

"What did she do?" Obi-wan asked Anakin. Anakin grinned. "She entered in the takeoff procedure."

Anakin picked the little girl up and set her on his lap, reaching around her to hit the controls.

Anna understood what he was doing, and she would often punch in the next sequence of the code.

Finally, Anakin lifted off.

Obi-wan looked at the little girl sitting on her brother's lap, comfortable and at ease.

Obi-wan sat in the co-pilot's seat.

It was when they left the atmosphere that her eyes lit up. She was silent for a while, just watching the stars.

Obi-wan watched her awe struck face and smiled.

Then he noticed the girl's tiny frame.

He opened his survival pack and tossed her a ration pack. "Eat this." Obi-wan said. Anna nodded and opened the package. Obi-wan expected her to ask what they were, but she just ate, trying to be neat and chewing with her mouth closed. Very civilized for a half-starved slave.

It would be a long six day journey back to Courasant, and Obi-wan expected Anna to sleep easily.

Instead, she stayed with Anakin until she grew tired, and then curled up against his chest and slept.

Obi-wan shot his padawan a look.

'What?" Anakin asked.

"aren't you going to tell me how you got to Mos Espa?" Obi-wan asked.

Anakin sighed. "It's a long story.' He said.

"We have six days until Courasant. Obi-wan said.

Anakin nodded and began.

By the time he was done, Obi-wan looked over at him in awe. "You really did all of that?" he asked.

Anakin nodded. 'I still have the cuts in my leg from ripping the detonator out." He assured Obi-wan.

Obi-wan stared, horrified, at his padawan for a moment.

'I'll go see if I can find any medical supplies." Obi-wan said. He went into the back of the ship and found a med kit and a bottle of disinfectant.

He walked back out and had Anakin set Anna down.

"Set your shadow down for a minute, Anakin." Obi-wan joked.

Anakin looked at her, surprised. "That's what we should call her!" he said happily. "Shadow. She is basically my shadow, after all."

Obi-wan rolled his eyes.

'Fine. Just come here." He said.

He had Anakin lay down on a small window seat while he cleaned and bandaged Ana's wound.

"You should be treating Shadow, you know," Anakin said, referring to Anna.

Obi-wan looked surprised. "Why? Is she hurt?" Anakin nodded.

"She's got a cut down to bone on her leg, and a gash on her stomach."

Obi-wan quickly and expertly treated the wounds, not even waking Shadow.

Anakin knew his master was uneasy.

"What is it?" Anakin asked quietly, Lifting Shadow back into his arms and moving towards the pilot's chair again.

"I don't like the look of her leg." Obi-wan said quietly.

"it's got sand in it, and some of it's in too deep to get out. I can fend off the infection for a while, but not too long. And we don't have medical care until we reach Courasant."

Anakin nodded. "She's strong, Master." He assured Obi-wan. "She'll be alright."

Obi-wan nodded.

"You eat, too." Obi-wan tossed him a ration pack, and Anakin ate a little, and then turned back to shadow.

Obi-wan could see his padawan was getting tired as the night wore on.

"Go sit on the window seat. Rest a little, before you get sick, too."

Anakin nodded, still holding his little Shadow.

"Only for a few minutes." Anakin said, settling against the wall, Shadow still in his arms.

But he was soon asleep, and Obi-wan knew he'd be out for hours.

Obi-wan smiled. He could handle the ship himself. And he enjoyed looking at his padawan, clutching his sister close to him, while they both slept peacefully.

Chapter

Obi-wan must have dozed, too, but the nav computer was already programmed, so they were fine.

He looked over at Anakin. His padawan was still asleep. Shadow was gone.

"Shadow!" Obi-wan's mind started racing. Where was she?

Obi-wan forced himself to take a deep breath. He gently shook Anakin awake.

"Anakin, have you seen shadow?" he asked quietly.

Anakin shook his head. "No, why?" he asked.

Instantly, his padawan was on his feet, searching.

"Shadow!" Obi-wan called. "Shadow!"

Anakin and Obi-wan searched the cargo bay and every other nook and cranny they could find in the ship. Suddenly, Anakin stopped on the bridge.

He smiled.

"I know where she is." Anakin said, opening a hatch down into the inner workings of the engine.

Obi-wan watched as his padawan trooped down inside.

"Found her!" Anakin called up a minute later.

"Good? What is she even doing down there?" Obi-wan asked.

"I'm fixing your hyper drive. It's really slow!" shadow called up.

"That doesn't matter!" obi-wan said.

"Anakin, bring her up!" Anakin was silent for a moment. "Anakin?" Obi-wan asked.

"Well, the hyper drive is slow, master…"

"Just bring her up, Anakin." Obi-wan said, exasperated.

"You do the main board of it, and I'll see if I can boost the power cell any…. That's it.' Obi-wan heard Anakin saying. "Anakin.." Obi-wan said warningly. Just then, the ship jolted forward, at a much faster speed then before, sending Obi-wan staggering back. He heard a thud, followed by laughter.

Obi-wan looked down the hatch to see Shadow and Anakin laughing. Anakin lifted Shadow up and force jumped out onto the floor of the ship.

Obi-wan slammed the hatch shut and looked at his padawan sternly. "You could have been killed down there!" Obi-wan said.

Shadow stood and tiptoe and Anakin bent down.

"The beardy guy worries a lot." Shadow whispered, but it was a very loud whisper of an inexperienced child.

"Yes, yes he does." Anakin confirmed, smiling teasingly up at Obi-wan.

Obi-wan just rolled his eyes.

He tossed them a bag of rations. "Eat breakfast, you two." He looked down at them both.

"And are you going to change your clothes?" Obi-wan asked. Shadow nodded. "Why did you guys keep screaming Shadow earlier?" She asked, as she rummaged around in her bag for a new tunic.

"That's your nickname, isn't it?" Obi-wan asked. "It is?" Shadow looked surprised. Then she smiled. 'I like it. I just wish you guys had told me about it." She grinned, and popped a protein cube in her mouth, heading off to the cargo bay to change.

When she came back, she was in a fresh tunic, still made of rough fabric, and shivering. Her hair was wet, so she had no doubt used the refresher. Obi-wan was shocked to see the filthy girl from the desert for the first time, the sand washed from her hair and grease from her skin, to show a tiny, beautiful girl, with features so like Anakin's it was staggering.

She still shivered.

"What's wrong?" Obi-wan asked, looking down at her, concerned.

"Cold." Shadow said quietly.

Obi-wan checked the temperature inside the ship. It was sixty two degrees.

Suddenly he understood, and he smiled.

"Space is cold, little one. Not like the dessert."

Obi-wan rummaged in his survival pack and handed her his thermal cape.

She force jumped into his lap and wrapped herself in the cloak, which was way too big for her, leaning against Obi-wan's chest.

Obi-wan was a bit surprised, but he smiled and stroked her hair. She soon fell asleep against him.

Anakin walked back in, he, too, in a fresh tunic.

He looked at Shadow and smiled.

"She's growing on you, Obi-wan." Anakin said, smiling.

Suddenly, obi-wan moaned.

"I just realized." He said quietly. "I have to deal with two skywalkers now." Anakin grinned and then sat back down in the pilot's chair.

"She sleeps a lot. Is she sick?"

Obi-wan felt her forehead with the back of his hand. "She seems alright now. She was cold, though, so I gave her my thermal cape."

Anakin nodded and studied the stars.

"It's only a four day journey, now." Anakin remarked.

Obi-wan nodded. "I must admit, you two did do a good job with the hyper drive."

Anakin grinned. 'She knows what she's doing around ships." He said, and smiled.

Obi-wan nodded and looked down at the girl's tiny frame as she lay in his lap. He hoped she wouldn't get sick.

His suspicious were put to rest when she ate lunch and wanted to explore the ship more.

Obi-wan nodded, reassured, and let her go.

In the cargo bay, she found a large, dessert rodent creature.

Obi-wan almost fell out of his chair when she entered the bridge holding it.

"It's a warg rat." She said, smiling. She stroked its fur, and it nestled up against her.

"They're very social things. Some people keep them as pets."

Anakin took one look at the expression on Obi-wan face and laughed.

"It must have crawled aboard on Tatooiene." He said.

Obi-wan looked appalled. "Isn't it... diseased?" he asked.

Anakin shook his head. "They're only carriers of fleas."

Just then, the little creature went limp in Shadow's arms.

"Darn it." She said, looking down at it.

"Is it… is it dead?" Obi-wan asked.

Shadow nodded, handing it to Anakin. "Life cycle is only ten days, after all. We should jettison it."

Anakin launched the dead creature into space.

Obi-wan let out a relieved sigh.

Shadow stood. "Well, back to the cargo bay." She said, walking easily now, her gait less hampered by her leg.

"Don't bring back anything alive." Obi-wan instructed her. She sighed and left.

Anakin grinned. "You're scared of a warg rat?" he asked. "They're the least deadly creature on Tatooiene."

Three hours passed. Obi-wan ordered Anakin to a small room that would serve as his quarters to rest. "You're injured, too." He reminded him.

Anakin sighed, but obeyed.

Around dinner time, Shadow staggered back onto the bridge.

"Ani?" she called, her voice wavering.

Obi-wan knew instantly something was wrong. He looked down at her tiny frame. She was shaking again, but this time, he knew it was more than her being cold.

He hurriedly strode over to her. "Ani's resting." He felt the strangeness of his padawan's nickname on his tongue. "Are you alright?"

The girl shook her head and leaned up against his leg, and Obi-wan felt how violently she was shaking.

"I don't feel good." She said quietly. Obi-wan lifted her into his arms and felt her forehead. She was burning.

"It's alright." He assured her, but he knew she was far from well.

Very gently he sat down in the co-pilot's seat, stroking her hair.

"What hurts?" he asked.

"My… my leg." She stammered, and she blinked slowly. Obi-wan knew infection had set in.

"A…and my head."

Anything else?" Obi-wan asked.

She shook her head and winced.

She leaned against him and buried her face in his tunic.

"Obi, it _really _hurts." She was on the verge of tears now, he knew.

He felt his own fear settle in, but Shadow quickly sensed it and pulled away from him. "Am I going to die?" she asked, eyes fearful.

Obi-wan quickly shook his head, realizing she could sense everything he was feeling. "No, no, I promise, you'll be alright. I'll help you."

She settled back against his chest and still shook. "I'm so cold…" she whispered. "I wish I would die. It would all stop." She blacked out.

Obi-wan stared down at the little girl who lay unconscious in his lap in shock. He imagined her pain was excruciating, but to want to die? He realized he was wasting time and quickly wrapped her in his thermal cloak.

He pulled out a basic med kit and gently laid her on the window seat. She didn't stir.

He gently took her temperature. One hundred and four degrees. He stared for a moment in disbelief, then gently unwrapped the bandage on her calf.

The infection was worse than he had predicted.

There was pus around it, and the wound was red and swollen. He gently drained the pus and tried to dab on a small amount of disinfectant. Even that small touch caused her to cry out in pain in her sleep.

Obi-wan hurriedly withdrew his hand and tried to relax.

"Obi-wan!" Anakin was in the doorway now, a look of fear in his eyes. "What are you doing to her?" he rushed over beside his master, his fear crashing around him like waves, Obi-wan felt through the force.

When Anakin saw her wound, he took a sharp breath.

"Master?" he asked quietly.

"I was just trying to clean it, Anakin." Obi-wan assured him

Anakin felt her forehead. His look turned from worry to pure terror.

'How long has she been like this?" he asked quietly.

"I don't know. She just came in a few minutes ago." Obi-wan admitted.

"Why didn't you come get me!?" Anakin demanded, anger evident in his voice now.

"She's my sister, after all!"

"Anakin!" The sharp tone in Obi-wan's voice startled Anakin.

Obi-wan sighed. "Anakin, she's very, very sick. I need to help her now. Go pilot the ship if you can't be calm and help."

Anakin nodded slightly and stepped back, still watching everything his master did. He didn't talk anymore.

Obi-wan felt his heart ache for his padawan, so clearly terrified for his sister. But he pushed away his feelings and gently tended to Shadow, knowing she needed all the care he could give her now.

He cleaned the wound as best he could, then wrapped it again, also checking her chest wound, which had scabbed over nicely.

He placed a wet cloth on her forehead and gently wrapped her in his cloak again, then nodded to Anakin.

"I've done what I can for now." He said quietly. "I'm going to call the temple."

Anakin nodded grimly and sat down beside his sister, waiting.

Obi-wan called the temple on an ancient looking holo-table in the next room.

The first room to answer was the library.

Obi-wan saw Madam Jocastia Nun's face wrinkle as she saw his imaged.

"What now, knight Kenobi? Called to have me do more of your research, have you?"

"no, Madame nun, I…"

Madame Nun kept talking. "How many times do I have to tell you, Kenobi, Knights must do their own research! I-"

"Madame Nun." Obi-wan's tone was surprisingly firm.

"I have a little girl who is dying. I haled the temple to speak with a healer. I need any insight they can give me, or I don't think she'll make it to Courasant."

Madame Nun nodded. Hurriedly, she rushed away into the library, and Obi-wan knew she was looking for a healer.

Bant erin, his childhood friend, appeared a moment later.

"Obi-wan?" her face was concerned.

"What's wrong? Are you and your padawan well?"

He nodded quickly.

"Bant, I have a three year old girl aboard who's got a deep, infected wound. She's got a fever of one hundred four, pus is everywhere in her wound, and it's red and puffy. She just told me she wanted to die."

Bant's face twisted for a moment to a look of utter concern, but suddenly, she looked more focused than she ever had been.

"What have you done so far?" she asked.

"I tried to clean the wound, but it caused her so much pain I only drained the pus and bandaged it again. She's currently unconscious, so I can't very well get her to drink anything. She's shivering uncontrollably, and tells me she's cold. I've got a cool compress on her and I'm not sure what else to do."

Bant nodded. "that sounds natural considering what you just descried. She's in a lot of pain, but in order to heal the infection as fast as possible, you'll want the fever to stay high and run its course. Whatever you do, do _not _let her fever get over 106. If it does, do anything you can, cool water sponging, dressing her in lighter clothing, even using some drugs if you have to- other than that, I'm afraid there's not much you can do. Try to keep her comfortable, and don't force her to eat- oh, but make sure she drinks fluids, at least some of them. She may have seizures, but as long as her temperatures down, I don't think she'll die."

Obi-wan nodded, and exhaled. "Thank you so much, Bant, I had no idea what to do."

Bant nodded. "I have to warn you, Obi-wan, the council has no idea you're bringing her here?"

"They don't, no. we've only just gotten into communication range."

Bant looked a bit worried. "They won't be happy, Obi-wan. May the force be with you."

'You too, Bant. Goodbye."

The transmission ended.

Obi-wan hurried out to find Anakin still stroking Shadow's hair on the bridge.

"What did they say?" he asked.

Obi-wan sat down beside his padawan.

"Keep her fever under one hundred six and she should survive."

Anakin nodded and looked down at his sister, a bit concerned.

"Any changes?" Obi-wan asked.

Anakin looked up. "Yes. She woke up and vomited a few minutes ago, but she's blacked out again.'

Obi-wan looked at his padawan in amazement.

" What did you do?"

Anakin sighed. "I quick grabbed a bag and held it for her. She didn't seem like she felt like talking, and almost as soon as she finished, she went out again."

Obi-wan looked down at her again, nodding.

"She should drink something soon." He said.

Anakin looked uncertain. "Should we wake her?" he asked.

Obi-wan shook his head. "Wait until the hours up. If she hasn't woken up by herself, then we will."

Anakin nodded. He waited beside his master.

She woke up a half hour later, screaming.

"Mom! Mom!" she cried.

"Mom?" She sensed her mother wasn't near and collapsed onto the makeshift bed they had made her, crying.

"Mom." She was sobbing now, and Obi-wan realized she was delusional.

"Shadow? Shadow!" Anakin was a bit frantic. She didn't' respond to her nickname.

"Anna?" he asked quietly.

Anna looked up, confused for a moment. Then she noticed him and grabbed his hand.

'Ani!" she said quickly. "Ani, where's mom? I need… mom." She started crying again, harder, this time.

Obi-wan felt his heart breaking. He reached out a hand to try to console her, but she noticed and withdrew too quickly, moving her leg and crying out in pain.

Obi-wan quickly pulled his hand away.

"Who are you!?" she cried. "Where's my mom? What have you done with her? Mom!"

She collapsed into a sobbing heap.

Anakin looked over at his master, his expression pained. He tried to console her, assuring her everything was alright, but she couldn't be consoled.

She continued to cry, refusing to let either of them touch her, not listening to them attempting to calm her, screaming for her mother.

Finally, she was too tired to do anything by lay there, a heap of tears and confusion and terror, and look out at the stars flashing by.

Anakin gently turned her head and put a small cup of water to her lips. She didn't resist when he tilted it back, holding her head gently and having her drink. Was she really that close to unconsciousness?

In response, she choked on the last swallow, and went limp. Anakin gently place her down on the small place they had made for her, staring down concernedly.

Just then, they both heard a beeping noise from the other room.

Obi-wan suppressed a groan. "That's the temple. Stay with her, Anakin. She seems to remember you, anyways."

Obi-wan stood and walked back to the holo-room.

There stood the imposing image of Mace windu, followed by three other counsel embers around him.

"Greetings, obi-wan." Mace said. It definitely wasn't a warm welcome, but it was a welcome, anyways.

"greetings, masters." He said quietly.

"We have heard that you are… bringing… someone new to the temple?" Mace said.

Obi-wan nodded. "yes, masters. She is a virgin in the force, like Anakin was."

"Why did you bring her, with no permission, and no details of her past or future, Kenobi?"

"if you do not want her, Master Windu, don't worry. She may die before we reach Courasant." Obi-wan said, a bit harshly.

Mace Windu, as well as the rest of the council members looked a bit shocked.

"Kenobi, what right did you have to bring her?" mace asked again.

"my padawan had a vision of her. Anakin's mother, Shmi, wanted her to come to the temple I could not contact you. She was hurt. If she was left of Tatooiene, without even our basic medical care, she would surely have died."

Yoda spoke this time.

'Shmi, how does give she, the girl to a Jedi?" he asked.

"The girl is Anakin's sister." Obi-wan said.

The council looked even more shocked.

"Do they have the same father, Kenobi?" Mace Windu asked.

Obi-wan shook his head. "They both had no father, as Qui-gon introduced with Anakin. I believe she, too, was conceived by the force. You can do DNA tests, if she's still alive when we reach the temple."

There was silence for a moment as the council murmured among themselves.

Finally, Yoda spoke.

"Force sensitive, is she?" Yoda asked.

"Yes. I felt her force signature from miles away."

"What is her midi-cholorian count, Kenobi?"

"I don't know yet. Right now, we're trying to keep her alive.

"How has young skywalker reacted to this?"

Obi-wan was momentarily silent. He was unprepared for the question. Finally, he answered. "he will not leave her side. He worries for her, but I am confident once she's safely installed at the temple, she'll help him learn detachment."

"Bring young skywalker in." mace ordered.

Obi-wan nodded and bowed.

He left the room, and then went to get Anakin.

"The council wishes to speak with you." He said quietly.

Anakin nodded, and, reluctantly, left Shadow with Obi-wan.

He entered the room and bowed the council.

"Greetings, masters." He said quietly.

"Greetings, young skywalker." Mace Windu replied.

"We hear you have discovered… a family member?"

Anakin nodded. "yes, masters. My younger sister, Shadow."

Mace looked puzzled. "Shadow?" he asked.

"well, her real name is Anna, but we call her Shadow." Anakin explained quickly.

Mace raised an eyebrow and nodded.

"How did you come across her, Skywalker?"

Anakin sighed. "I had many visions, masters, of her. I was captured and sent to Jabba the Hutt to be a slave on Tatooiene. While I was there, I had another vision of her. I sensed she was close, and that she was in great pain. I escaped and freed her, and my mother, Shmi, told me she should go to the temple."

"No wish her to go to the temple, did you?" yoda asked.

"No, masters, I whole heartedly agree. She is strong with the force."

"And, how do you know this?" Mace asked.

"I sensed her force signature, masters. I've seen her use the force to move objects numerous times, in visions and in person."

Mace raised an eyebrow.

'How old is she, Skywalker?"

"Three, masters."

The council began to murmur among themselves at this, and Anakin knew that they were amazed at what he was telling them.

"have you witnessed any other times in which she uses the force, Skywalker?"

Anakin nodded. "Yes, masters. When I spoke of my own master, I sensed he was already on planet and said so, and Shadow said Obi-wan was worried. And he was."

"Anything else, Skywalker?"

Yes. "She responds when I used the force around her. When I spread it around me and she's near, I feel her relaxing. She…"

Anakin suddenly threw a nervous glance over his shoulder.

"Something the matter, Skywalker?" Mace asked.

Anakin looked back towards the council. "she's calling me, masters. I sense her."

Mace nodded. "You may go to her, Skywalker."

"Thank you, masters." Anakin said. He hurriedly bowed and walked briskly from the room, back to find Shadow. The transmission ended.

As soon as Anakin sat down beside her, she opened her eyes. She looked exhausted and feverish.

"Rest." Anakin felt her forehead and coaxed her to drink more water. She fell, once again, into a fevered sleep.

Obi-wan looked down at his Padawan's sister and tried to relax.

He dabbed at her forehead with a wet cloth and sat beside Anakin.

"Any improvements?" he asked.

Obi-wan shook his head.

"No. And three days until Courasant. What did the council think of what you said?"

Anakin shrugged. "They were surprised when I told them she could move things with the force."

Obi-wan's eyes widened. "She can?" he asked.

Anakin nodded. "I've seen it before. And, watch this."

Anakin closed his eyes and focused, spreading his focus widely around him, like a net, alerting him of any change in anything. Obi-wan felt Shadow's alertness in the force decrease as she sensed Anakin's hyper vigilance, and she seemed content to lay still, eyes closed.

Obi-wan nodded quietly. "It seems she's learned quite a bit about her gift." He commented. Anakin nodded. "Yes." He said. "Now if only her fever would break."

Obi-wan nodded and looked down at her.

"We should take shifts watching her.' He said quietly.

Anakin nodded. "I'll take the first shift, master." Anakin said.

Obi-wan shook his head. "Anakin, you're hurt, too, and the last thing I need is you getting an infection too. Go rest. I'll call you when I think you're ready."

Obi-wan saw the desperate look in his padawan's eyes and frowned. "I'll wake you up if anything happens." He told his padawan. "I promise."

Anakin nodded slightly. "Fine. But I sleep out here."

Obi-wan reluctantly agreed.

Anakin lay in the pilot's chair, a few feet away from where his sister lay. Obi-wan felt his padawan use the force to call to her, and her weak response. Anakin accepted this, and sat down in the chair, curling against the back of it and falling into a troubled sleep.

Chapter

Shadow tried to roll over and her leg sent shockwaves of pain through her body. She cried out in pain and sat bolt upright, nearly falling off the small place where she laid. Obi-wan caught her and steadied her. He looked into her eyes, concerned. Did she remember him?

The blank look in her eyes answered his question. But she dragged himself onto his lap anyways, wanting to be close to someone, even if it was a stranger. Besides, she sensed he was good, and curled up against him again.

Obi-wan gently took her temperature. One hundred four point 9. He was getting a bit worried. But it seemed to have spiked at that, for now, and so he was calm.

He felt the heat coming off her like a sun, and she was sweating. Obi-wan gently tried to cool her down with small amounts of water, wondering when she would be alright again.

He remembered Anakin's call to her through the force.

He focused and called out, too, and was rewarded with a small, almost whisper of the force from her. But it was a response.

Obi-wan replayed the day in his head, how they had gotten to this point. He had thought she was alright when she ate lunch and went off to explore. She had been gone after her Warg rat had died and she had gone off again.

Then he had made Anakin go rest, and she had staggered in, saying she didn't feel good.

Now, here they were, Shadow collapsed in a feverish heap on his lap, curled desperately against him. She shivered. Obi-wan wished he could stop her discomfort, but he had to let it run his course, like Bant had said.

But at least her response with the force showed there was some small part of her unaffected by the fever.

Obi-wan resisted the urge to call out to her again. He had pushed his luck once, since she was so weak. It felt like a treasure to have that one response from her. And now, here she was, on his lap. She didn't remember him, but she trusted him.

Obi-wan looked over towards Anakin. He sensed something was amiss.

Suddenly, it came crashing down on him. Anakin had been injured, but he hadn't changed the bandages yet today.

Obi-wan looked over to his padawan, and sensed he was in pain.

Very gently, Obi-wan used the force to wake Anakin. His padawan opened his eyes and looked around for a moment, bewildered.

Then, he noticed Obi-wan and walked over.

"What's wrong?" he looked anxiously at Shadow, who lay quietly in Obi-wan's lap.

"Nothing." Obi-wan said quietly. "But I have to change your bandages."

Anakin shook his head. "I'm fine, master, really."

Obi-wan gave Anakin a look, and he sighed and rolleg up his pant leg. Obi-wan administered bacta to the gsh, which was scabbing over, and placed a clean bandage on.

"How does it feel?" Obi-wan asked quietly.

Anakin stood and looked relieved. "Much better. Thank you, master."

Obi-wan nodded.

Anakin closed his eyes and focused. He looked at Shadow, worriedly.

"She's worse, master." Obi-wan nodded. "a bit warmer, yes. But she's holding up nicely."

Anakin didn't look convinced.

"master, you've been up with her most of the night. You're tired. Let me watch her for a while.

Obi-wan looked over at his padawan carefully. Anakin looked well. The wounds he had received on Tatooiene had weakened him, since he was paler than Obi-wan would have liked, but he looked strong enough.

Obi-wan looked down at shadow again.

"I don't want to move her, Anakin." He said.

Anakin nodded quietly.

"Why don't you rest with her on your lap, and I'll watch her."

Obi-wan looked a bit uncertain. "And if she gets worse?" he asked quietly."

"I'll wake you." Anakin assured him quietly.

Obi-wan nodded quietly, and closed his eyes. He wouldn't sleep. He only went into a meditative state, where he gathered the force around him and rejuvenated himself, nothing more.

He felt shadow lying calmly in his lap and relaxed.

He almost nodded off several times, but forced himself awake each time, then returned to his meditative state.

Anakin awoke him around eight the next day.

"Master, she's worse." Anakin said.

Obi-wan looked at the small girl on her lap. Her temperature was at one hundred six point seven.

Her breathing came in short, shallow rasps.

"how long has she been like this?" Obi-wan asked as he gently dabbed at her forehead with a wet cloth.

Anakin shook his head. "It was sudden. She was fine for one minute, and the next I sensed she was worse."

Obi-wan nodded. She was still hot.

Obi-wan gently removed the outer layer of her tunic, leaving her in a thin shirt and pants, trying to cool her.

It didn't work.

"Anakin, bring me the med kit." Obi-wan ordered.

He gently laid her back on the window seat, talking care not to move her leg in any way.

Anakin returned a moment later, med kit in hand.

"wake her up." He ordered, while he removed two fever reducing pills from a small container.

"Masters, she's not waking up." Anakin said, an edge of panic in his voice.

Obi-wan gently shook Shadow. She didn't respond.

Obi-wan felt panic blossom in his mind, too.

"Call her with the force." He ordered.

He dissolved the pills in water and waited.

Anakin called once. No response. Obi-wan felt him calling frantically now, but he didn't get an answer either time.

"Anakin, you can stop now." Obi-wan said quietly.

Anakin looked stricken, and Obi-wan felt him trying to give her strength through the force. She still didn't respond.

"Anakin, call the temple. Talk to Bant." Anakin nodded and rushed away, while Obi-wan had her drink the medicated water and waited a few moments.

He sensed nothing from her. Only that her life force was ebbing and that she could not reach out to him anymore.

Anakin trudged back inside with news from Bant.

"She says there's nothing else to do." He said quietly.

Obi-wan nodded and waited, his padawan beside him.

The hours ticked away. Obi-wan forced Anakin to eat, since he otherwise refused, and he still managed to get shadow to drink a small amount of water.

Anakin went under that ship and worked on the hyper drive. "I can only get us down to two more days, counting today.' He said. "And even that's risky."

Obi-wan nodded, still looking down at the small form that lay, helpless, before him.

He took her temperature. One hundred eight.

Anakin saw the reading before Obi-wan could hide it and paled.

He sat down beside his master and placed his head in his hands, waiting.

Obi-wan had no words to comfort his padawan, only anxiety.

Shadow lay still, through the hours of countless worry, breathing rapidly.

Obi-wan reached the point where he realized it wouldn't matter if they slept or not, and said so to Anakin. Anakin refused at first, but then, eventually, drifted off to sleep. Obi-wan didn't want to sleep, since he was afraid of what he would find when he awoke.

But he somehow fell asleep.

"Obi-Kenobi. Obi? Ani? Wake up."

Obi-wan felt the dream nagging at him. She was dead, gone, pushed down, away, retreated inside herself forever.

Obi-wan felt something land on him and started awake.

"Obi? Obi! Are you dead!?" the voice was frantic now, persistent. Obi-wan knew it wasn't Anakin.

He opened his eyes to see a small girl on his lap, features strikingly like Anakin's in every way.

For a moment sleep still clouded his mind, and he was confused, until his alertness came rushing back and he gasped, staring at the little girl on his lap.

"hey Obi, I feel better now." She said quietly.

"Ani's still sleeping." She remarked.

"Anakin!" Obi-wan hurried to shake his padawan awake.

"Shadow! Master, is she…" Anakin saw her standing beside Obi-wan and he blinked for a moment, as if in disbelief.

"you're alive?" he wrapped her up in his arms, smothering her in a hug so long and tight she yipped and pain, and Anakin quickly released her.

"Is it breakfast time yet?" she asked quietly. "I'm starving."

Obi-wan first gave her a small amount of dissolved protein cube to keep down, and went to call Bant.

Bant answered the call quickly, eyes Anxious. "Is she alright? Anakin called, told me she had a fever of one hundred eight and that nothing was working. I tried, obi-wan, I really did…'

"Bant, she's fine." Obi-wan said quietly.

Bant heaved a sigh of relief.

"how is she right now?" she asked.

'Well, she woke Anakin and I up this morning and wanted to eat something, and she was standing up by herself. "

Bant smiled.

"thank you, Bant. Whatever you told us to do, it worked."

Bant shook her head. "her fever shot up after you gave her the pills. It did nothing for her. It was all just the fever finally breaking and Anna surviving it."

Obi-wan nodded. "while, your treatments did help her, Bant."

Bant shook her head. 'No, but I'm sure the Jedi council and Jocastia Nun will be happy to hear she's alive.'

Obi-wan looked surprised. "Jocastia nun?" Madame Nun was always teasing him to do his own research and was a bit more disciplined with him than the other Jedi knights.

"yes. In fact, she's been calling me regularly, asking for updates."

Obi-wan nodded.

"thanks, Bant. I have to go see how she's doing now. Any more advice?"

Bant nodded. "Let her eat as much as she wants, but start her out small. Make sure she's drinking, and keep her warm and quiet."

Obi-wan nodded. "Thanks again, Bant." He said.

"I told you, Obi-wan, I didn't do anyth-"

But Obi-wan had already ended the transmission.

He hurried out into the bridge to find Shadow and Anakin eating breakfast.

Shadow finished off her spare meal and looked at Anakin, anticipating something.

"Want to play tag?" she asked.

"No." Obi-wan said. "You're to be kept warm and quiet for the day. Healer's orders."

Shadow looked disappointed.

"Come on, Obi. I feel fine."

Obi-wan shook his head and draped his thermal cloak around his shoulders.

"No. Don't even try that on me. You told me you wanted to die."

"I did?" Shadow looked surprised.

"yes, you did, and you were too tired to even remember it. Now rest."

Shadow sighed and crawled into Anakin's lap, wrapping the thermal cloak tighter around her. She was asleep in minutes.

Anakin stroked her hair and smiled down at her.

"She's alive." He said.

Obi-wan gave his padawan a once over and decided.

"You rest, too."

"Master, I'm…"

"Anakin." Obi-wan said in a warning tone. "You've been up without sleeping for awhile now. I want you resting, now."

Anakin sighed and climbed onto the window seat with Shadow, closing his eyes. He, too, was asleep within minutes.

Obi-wan rested lightly as he monitored the ship's progress.

It seemed like the climax of the journey was over.

Anakin strode over as they arrived in Courasant's orbit, still holding a sleeping Shadow.

"How long until we land?" Anakin asked quietly.

"A few minutes." Obi-wan answered.

Anakin nodded.

Obi-wan's comlink signaled.

"We want to meet with shadow skywalker as soon as she's given a proper medical exam." Mace windu said quietly.

"yes, masters." Obi-wan said.

He shot Anakin a worried look.

Shadow sensed the concern and started awake, and then went to the refresher to get ready.

She emerged in her last clean tunic, the girl Obi-wan had remembered. Her features were still strikingly like Anakin's, and it was easy to tell they were related.

She smelled faintly of lilacs.

Shadow sniffed, curious. "I smell weird." She said.

"You smell like flowers." Anakin explained. "Remember, those pretty plants mom loves."

"Oh yeah…" Shadow was silent, thinking about her mother for a few moments.

Then she saw the surface of Courasant.

"Wow." She breathed.

She stared down the space lanes at all the gleaming transports, and the buildings.

Then she sensed the force in an immense concentration and looked up at the temple, amazed.

"That's the temple." Anakin pointed over to the building, with its four towers rising immensely into the sky. "There's the senate building."

"You mean the rich people argue there?"

Obi-wan chuckled. "Yes, shadow, they do."

Obi-wan landed the transport, since Anakin was busy pointing things out to Shadow.

She stepped down into the temple hanger and stared.

She seemed breathless for a moment, but Obi-wan saw her eyes light up as she looked at the many transports.

"You guys get to fly all these?" she asked, amazed.

"Nope.' Anakin said. 'we all take turns flying them."

He led her away from the hanger, towards the med wing with Obi-wan.

He bumped into Tru, who smiled at him. "Anakin, it's been too long." he smiled.

Anakin nodded. "Hello, Tru."

"Anakin, I've heard the rumors. They're all over the place. Is your sister… is she okay?"

Anakin nodded and indicated the little girl beside him.

Tru looked at her for a moment, amazed "she looks just like you.' He said quietly.

He studied her for a moment. Finally, Shadow spoke. "You're stretchy.' She said.

Tru laughed.

He was a Teevan, a humanoid species that had a bright gray complexion and an extremely bendable body.

"Anakin." Obi-wan said quietly.

"right. Umm… I'll see you later, Tru. We have to take Shadow to the med wing.'

Tru nodded. 'Bye, Anakin and… Anna, right?"

Anna shook her head. 'Shadow" she said quietly.

"bye shadow.' Tru said, continuing down the hall.

Anakin waited while Shadow was given her medical exam.

She emerged a few minutes later, dressed in a new white tunic like Anakin's, her leg bandaged and patched with synthiflesh.

She studied her leg for a moment.

"feels weird.' She commented.

Obi-wan nodded.

"the council wants to see you.' Obi-wan said.

Anakin took her hand again and led her to the turbo lift.

"What do you do with the council?" Shadow asked curiously.

"You listen to them.' Obi-wan said, before Anakin could give his answer, which would no doubt get shadow into trouble.

"Do you ever get to talk?" Shadow asked.

"sometimes.' Obi-wan said.

They reached the council waiting room and entered.

Ferus and his master, Obi-wan's friend, siri, exited the chamber. Anakin noticed ferus studying Shadow curiously.

Just then, they entered the council chamber.

Anakin led shadow in, and she looked around her at the various species of Jedi masters.

"Who's the green guy?" she asked, nodding towards Yoda.

Obi-wan tried to hide his horror at the question, but Anakin looked at her and shook his head, and she understood and stood a little straighter, facing the council with ease.

"hello, Anna Skywalker." Mace windu said.

She nodded greeting to him.

There was a moment of silence, where all the Jedi took her in, sensing the various things about her. Mace Windu gave her a piercing glare, as he had done with Anakin when he stood before the council.

Shadow didn't shy away, but instead met the gaze, and he sensed her using the force to gather her feelings and information from the beings around her.

Mace looked surprised for a moment, but then continued his piercing study of her.

Finally, Yoda spoke.

"strong with the force, she is."

Mace windu got on his comlink. He paged the medical wing. "What is her midi-cholorian count?" he asked.

Anakin was shocked to hear sixteen thousand in reply.

Shadow cocked her head, as if remembering something.

Mace turned off his comlink.

"Do you know what that means, Anna?" he asked.

Anna nodded slightly.

"What does it mean?" he asked.

"it means I got these little guys living in my cells that do different stuff and let me move things with my find and figure things out about people."

Mace hid his surprise and continued. "Where did you learn this?" he looked to Anakin and Obi-wan.

"I met this guy in the street on Tatooiene when I was out buying fruit who said he'd pay me if I showed him where the cantina was. So I showed him and he sat down and told me to sit down and he told me about these people called Jedi who had little guys living in them that could let them move things and all, and Mom said that Ani could do that, and that I could too."

Mace nodded.

"Do you understand what that means?" he asked.

Shadow nodded. "It means nobody would play with me cause they thought I cheated since I could move things without touching them."

Mace shook his head.

"no." he said quietly. "it means you could be a Jedi, too.'

Mace had Anakin and obi-wan leave. Anakin stood outside the council chamber, anxious while they tested her force ability.

Anakin remembered the test, where he had been nervous as they asked him questions about things he couldn't see and about other things, and then figured out how he felt.

On part of the test was annoying, though. They had placed a ball on the floor and asked if he could move it with his mind, and he couldn't.

He hoped Shadow could.

He sensed her excitement, and was slightly anxious.

Mace windu finished asking her the questions about what images were while her eyes were closed. She had answered them all correctly.

"You may open your eyes now." Mace said quietly.

He used the force to place the small, blue ball in front of her.

"can you move this ball without touching it?" he asked.

Shadow nodded. She closed her eyes and focused.

She opened her hand and the ball slowly flew into the air. Then, she closed her hand slightly, and the ball flew to it, inside her grip.

She let go of the ball and set it on mace Windu's lap, still using the force.

She opened her eyes.

Mace nodded wordlessly, and Jedi master Yoda spoke.

"I sense fear in you. Fear to let those you love go."

Shadow nodded and listened as he described her even more.

Finally, she nodded. "Yup. You got it all right. But, would you want your mom to die?"

Yoda opened his blue eyes and looked at her for a moment, studying her.

"Die, all things must. Real, your fear will one day become."

Shadow nodded. "Yeah. I don't want my mom to die, I know, but just wanting it can't stop her from dying. Sides, mom said she's always with me."

Yoda nodded, satisfied.

"Go now, you may. Be a Jedi, you will." Shadow smiled eagerly.

"thanks." She bowed, like she had seen Anakin do, and left.

Obi-wan was called into the chamber after her, and he nodded and stood before the Jedi council to report and receive instructions.

Finally, Obi-wan exited, and Anakin was called in.

Obi-wan left with shadow in toe, heading off to the training quarters.

She was assigned a training light saber, six tunics, a duffel bag, and quarters.

Obi-wan knocked on the door to find a female Jedi knight supervising a pillow fight between younglings before classes started.

Obi-wan nodded and passed shadow over to the Jedi, who smiled a greeting and left.

Obi-wan returned to the council chamber to find Anakin exiting, looking around.

"where is she?" he asked quietly.

"I took her to her quarters. She'll be alright, Anakin, I'm sure of it."

Anakin nodded, but looked uncertain.

'you'll see her after classes today, Anakin. The council is bound to give you time to heal between missions.'

Anakin nodded.

He hurried off to his quarters to freshen up and sat on his bed for a while, staring at the ceiling, wondering.

He sent out a wave of the force calling to her. She answered with a robust signal back. Anakin grinned. She was alright.

He walked down one of the nature trails and tried to relax, wondering where he should take his sister first after classes. He could take her to the room of a thousand fountains, the gardens, or to the lake, where students swam often.

Instantly, he knew he should take her to the waterfall by the cool green lake. It was one of his favorite places, so he figured she'd like it too.

He ate a quick lunch and sat in the room of one thousand fountains, trying to meditate. He managed to focus for a while, but then he felt a presence in the force calling him. He looked up at the clock. Classes for younglings were out.

He walked down the hall towards the wing and was met with stares and whispers.

He ignored them, and found her in the light saber training room.

He paused and watched. She wasn't leaving yet, but was sparring. Master Yoda watched as she fought a girl much bigger than her, and Anakin sensed her concentration. The girl she was fighting was decently skilled, but left herself open during several attacks. Anakin watched as shadow found openings to strike each time, retreating and then, when it was least expected, scoring with a simple strike.

The simplicity of the moves she used wasn't impressive, since they were all basic. But the ways she found and opening and took advantage of it was, ducking and rolling, hardly ever blocking, since she wasn't as strong as her opponent, but always scoring the point.

Obi-wan walked up beside him and watched quietly.

"She's doing well for a first day.' He said quietly.

Anakin nodded. "It's odd how she can always use and opening and she always scores with the simplest strikes.'

Obi-wan shook his head. "Simple is sometimes best, padawan.' He said.

Anakin nodded.

Shadow ducked a strike and lunged forward, faking a stab and slicing across the neck, winning the match.

Yoda dismissed the younglings, and she disengaged her training light saber, smiling as she found Anakin and Obi-wan outside.

"How'd you do?" Anakin asked quietly.

Shadow smiled and placed her training light saber back onto her utility belt.

"I think I'm going to like it here.' She assured him, and fell into step beside him.


End file.
